


Don't Let It Get to You

by SingingSilence



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Angst, Champion of Alola reader, Coming to terms with life, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Kukui is a very strange man, More tags to be added, Roommates, Slow Burn, but so is Guzma, different lives with same perspective, kinda kidnap, not understanding feelings, reader is kind of a jerk, recovering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 15:22:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 32,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13126455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SingingSilence/pseuds/SingingSilence
Summary: You were tired of your regular life as champion. It seemed as if nothing could possibly spark your interest anymore. You were lonely and bored, and your schedule varied all the time. Keeping your title was difficult, but even fighting had a pattern. You didn't think anything would change, until one night.You hardly expected to find someone lying unconscious in your yard in the middle of the night. Even more surprising was the fact that it was the big bad team skull leader that brought plenty of chaos to your life in the past. You dreaded bringing him in, but you were also intrigued. You wanted answers that he had, and at least some instance of an adventure in your routine life.





	1. Chapter 1

After becoming the champion of the Alolan region, you had felt a constant emptiness inside of you. You expected some sense of satisfaction after jumping from island to island and completing trials, but no such happiness was granted. You still felt as if something else needed to be done. You couldn't say you regretted your new job, but it certainly came with huge responsibilities. Everyone either wanted to fight or avoid trying to pick a fight with you once you were the champion. You'd also be lying if you said you didn't feel some ping of guilt for taking prize cash from little kids that dream of being you. Your job was difficult, in more ways than one. 

For one thing, your schedule didn't allow much time for socializing. Sure, you weren't _that_ busy, but your time battling varied often depending on how many people wanted to take on the famed champion of Alola that day. You had weekends off, which saved time for doing a whole lot of nothing. You wasted quite a bit of time just exploring the islands, which managed to bore you when you ran out of places to discover. Your pokedex wasn't completed, sure, but when were you going to have time to work on that? You figured that Professor Kukui would be bothering you to work on it, but even he was working on too much to focus on you. That was just fine with you. It only meant that you didn't have some huge deadline to worry about. 

Walking home was something that really helped you relax. The moon was already out, and turning your head, you could see it reflect off the ocean and make it sparkle. You bought yourself a small home on the beach that was partially secluded from the rest of the island. Melemele was still close to your mother and Hala, who helped you train occasionally or just relax. He was fun to talk to at times and his wisdom was entertaining to listen to. You were also not too far away from your favorite shops and tourist areas. 

As for your house, it was large enough to fit your team and you even had your own small section of beach behind it. The place was homey, even if you felt lonely for a lot of the time. Your pokemon made good company, sure, but they didn't replace human connection. You were lacking in that field, and didn't know how to fix it. Being busy a majority of the time, you didn't have time to make many friends. The friends you did have had their own goals to look out for. You exchanged conversations with them every now and then, but for the most part they were too preoccupied. 

Once you got to your house, you decided to sit down on the porch. Immediately, you felt a presence. Thinking nothing of it, you leaned back on the bench. When the presence didn't falter, you let out a sigh. 

"It's not going to work, Gengar." 

Your precious pokemon let out a snicker, floating over to you happily. You scratched his head, receiving a purr from the ghost. Gengar pulled you onto him, using him as a pillow. You always looked forward to coming home to your prized pokemon. Your gengar was incredibly loyal, even though he did pull tricks occasionally. You had raised most of your pokemon from their first evolutions. Your ledian was caught as a ledyba in the beginning of your adventure, and never left your party through the whole journey. Gengar was a simple ghastly, and you made both him and yourself stronger. 

"Did you put the others to bed?" You asked your ghost. 

Gengar nodded in reply, giving a huge lick to the side of your cheek and messing up your hair with his massive tongue. 

"Gross..." you muttered. "Thanks, Gengar." 

The snicker returned and you let out a large yawn. You couldn't even watch the moon. You were over tired fron the long day of battling and exploring. You let your ledian and espeon out of their balls, bidding them goodnight and letting them inside. Being a ghost, Gengar didn't need much sleep, but he preferred to stay on your bed anyway and basically claim it as his own. You knew he was waiting for you to head to bed so he could kick you off. There were times when you fell asleep on the back porch. Gengar usually left you alone to sleep, giving you a blanket and going about with mischief in the night. Often times in the morning, you regret passing out on the bench outside, as you find that your back kills you when that happens. 

Your eyes began to close when you heard a noise come from your side yard. Perking up in alert, you lifted yourself off of your pokemon. You turned to Gengar with a raised brow, the ghost going into full on defense mode. You nodded to him and proceeded with caution. The shadows of the night didn't give you a huge hint as to what was there, but you could hear what sounded like a crash followed by cursing. Someone was definitely near your trash cans. Gengar moved around the house in an instant. You didn't move too fast, as you didn't want to face danger, but you definitely heard Gengar let out a growl. Another thud in the side yard left nothing to the imagination. That had to be the sound of the trespasser falling to the ground. 

Tiptoeing carefully, you peeked around the corner of the house. You saw the figure lying face down in the grass, Gengar floating over them. Turning to Gengar, you squinted. The ghost shrugged, shaking his head. He really didn't have anything to do with the reaction. You looked at him with confusion, receiving the same exact expression. Picking up a stick from the side yard, you gently poked what you thought was the figure's head. You got a small groan in response, both you and Gengar letting out a sigh of relief. At least you didn't encounter a dead guy tonight. They were only unconscious. 

The real question was, who was this person and why were they at your house? Motioning to Gengar, you gestured for him to help you carry the mystery person to the porch. If you could see whoever they were you might be able to deal with the situation better. Gengar hoisted them up, and you helped him drag the body across your yard. 

"This looks so suspicious this looks so suspicious this looks so suspicious!" You hissed repeatedly as you dragged the body. Gengar didn't look much better than you did. He did a majority of the carrying, mostly because you could hardly carry your own weight after that day and he understood that perfectly. 

Slowly entering the light, you noticed that the person had been wearing all black, which explained why you couldn't see him. However, when you tugged the hood off, you could see familiar fluffy white hair. You visibly paled and Gengar emitted a low growl. Silencing your pokemon, you turned the man over. 

"Guzma..." you whispered, brushing his hair away from his face. 

Dragging the male up into your house was difficult, as you had to bring him up the porch stairs and open the door. You saved further examination for when he was indoors and safe. Kicking the door closed behind you, you decided to set him on the couch. Gengar hefted him onto the couch in an awkward position, his head lulling back off the side of the couch and his arms bent in strange angles. You chuckled, but fixed it so he was laying down. 

Your gaze shifted to a look of concern as you scanned over him. Guzma appeared to be in awful shape. He was bleeding in some places and covered in dirt and scratches. All that was just from looking at him with his hoodie on. You were afraid of removing it, just to see more injuries. Realizing you had to in order to fix him, you took a deep breath. 

"Gengar... Can you please hold him up?" 

The ghost gave you a questioning glance, but complied. You removed his sweatshirt and slipped off his tank top, becoming more horrified by the scrapes and cuts that continued on his body. His white shirt had red and brown stains on it, most likely from fresh and dried blood. 

"Guzma what happened to you?..." You mumbled. The ex leader smelled awful and looked like a mess. You scrunched your nose up in slight disgust, but you couldn't help but pity him. You could only wonder when the last time he had a bath was. You would have to at least clean him somewhat before fixing his injuries. 

"Can you fetch me the med kit? I'll grab the cloth and soap." You commanded Gengar, who was fidgeting somewhat. 

Gengar obeyed your response, heading into the bathroom and grabbing the first aid kit. You walked into the kitchen, getting a cloth and dampening it. You poured some soap on it and went back into the living room. Guzma hadn't moved, suggesting that he had been knocked out cold. You doubted that your pokemon was the cause of this. It didn't sound like he had been hurt by Gengar. By the situation, you heard him fall over in defeat. He must have been scratched and beaten up long before their encounter. 

You got to work immediately, pressing the warm cloth to Guzma's back. You rubbed as much dirt away as you could, leaving his back and sides red with your scrubbing. The wounds didn't look as bad without all the dirt, but they were still prominent, and some were still bleeding. 

You dressed the wounds, having Gengar turn him around so you could take care of the injuries on his front and arms. You left the bruises alone, as there wasn't much to be done about them. When you finished, you gave him a once over to make sure everything was fixed. There wasn't much more for you to do. You were going to have to bring him to your bed in order to rest properly. Gengar appeared to understand without you needing to say anything, but he wasn't exactly fond of the thought. You couldn't blame him. 

Both of you got him up once again, bringing him into your bedroom. You placed him on the bed and removed his socks and shoes, turning him so he was lying across it and throwing the covers over him. His hair had some dirt in it, turning patches of the white fluff into a light brown. He was getting dirt on your pillow, making you frown. Unconscious, he looked so calm. You had never expected to see such a look on him. He always appeared over the top when you saw him, dramatically angry or boisterous. His head was partially tilted to the side in your direction, and he was resting flat on his back. 

You flushed up when you realized that you were just staring at him while he slept. It was creepy enough to just bring an unconscious person into your room, and you already appeared suspicious when you dragged him inside your house. You wondered why you even helped him. You expected him to wake up and steal things from your house, vandalize your property, or something else along the lines of criminal activity. 

You removed that thought from your head. Of course he wouldn't do that. Guzma and the entirety of team skull were the worst villains you had ever come across. They were nuisances, but they weren't evil in the slightest. If anything, their attempts to wreak havoc just amused you. There was nothing to fear here, which was one of the reasons why you helped him in the first place. 

The only other reason why you bothered to help him was for answers. He had just shown up in the middle of the night at your house covered in wounds and dropped unconscious in your yard. You freaked out, what else could you do? You wondered how he ended up the way he did. It looked as if he got in a quarrel with multiple pokemon, and lost horribly. You frowned, questioning why he was out on the street so late at night. 

You turned and left the room, shutting the lights off and closing the door gently behind you. You yawned, fetching a blanket from the closet and laying it across the couch. The living room couch was better than the bench outside. You knew Gengar would stay up. It wasn't as if his energy would change. 

You layed across the couch, draping a blanket over yourself and curling up. Gengar came up to you, sitting calmly on the coffee table. You gave him a small smile, yawning as you felt your consciousness drift from you. 

"Goodnight, Gengar. Thanks for the help..."

You fell asleep to him watching over you, glaring at the door that contained one of your biggest enemies. 

You were positive that Guzma would have a similar expression in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

When Guzma woke up, his whole body felt sore. He moaned in slight pain, his hand going to his head and rubbing it. Flakes of dried dirt fell out of his hair, landing on the dirt stained pillow below. Unable to recognize where he was, Guzma jolted out of bed. He looked around the room, trying to find anything that might signify where he was. Guzma examined the bed he was sitting in. How had he ended up in a bed? He tried to remember what had happened the night before. He had been wandering around in the dark, trying to find a place to rest. The last thing he recalled was tripping over something metal. 

Guzma was still groggy from just waking up. Whoever's house this was, he must have allowed Guzma in it and managed to carry him inside. Guzma ran his hand through his tangled hair, his bangs partially falling over his face without the help of his sunglasses to hold them up. He wondered where they were, frantically searching for them in the current room he was in. Guzma hissed when he moved to quickly, his hand going to his back. His eyes widened when his fingers made contact with what he assumed was gauze. He looked down at himself, realizing that he was covered in patches of gauze and some bandages. Whoever did it clearly was not experienced in the medical field, but it was the thought that counted. 

He fetched his blood stained shirt and hoodie off of the chair, pulling them over himself. There was no point in staying here all day, no matter how nervous he secretly was about stepping out of the room. What could he do if he got caught by the person that brought him here? He supposed he would just have to make a run for it. Guzma frowned. He wasn't in the mood to run away. Of course, it wasn't like he wanted to do that the _first_ time. 

Taking a deep breath, Guzma headed towards the bedroom door. Hopefully he would be able to sneak out and not deal with confrontation at all. At first, it appeared that no one was actually in the house. However, Guzma heard a gentle moan come from the couch. He could tell someone was sleeping softly on the couch and his heart raced as he anticipated trying not to wake them up. He walked quietly across the floor towards the front door, passing by the coffee table. He noticed his sunglasses were sitting on the table and they had been cleaned off. 

Shuffling silently across the room, he carefully bent down to pick them up. The person buried under blankets didn't seem to respond, only burying themself further under the blanket that hid all of their features. Guzma wondered if he should be disappointed or not. He wouldn't know who to send his thanks to. He shrugged. It wasn't like he intended on doing that anyway. 

As Guzma approached the door, he felt a shiver go up his spine. Turning around, he was met with the face of a gengar, who grinned maliciously. Gengar growled, the spikes on him becoming more prominent. Guzma fought the urge to scream, holding his hand over his mouth. Gengar opened his mouth, his tongue dragging a long line of gross ghost slime across Guzma's cheek. Guzma remained still, wondering what he should do. He put his finger to his lips to try and get the gengar to remain quiet. 

He remembered this pokemon. This was definitely the gengar that belonged to one of his long time enemies. He narrowed his eyes, contemplating what he should do. Gengar opened his mouth tauntingly and Guzma nearly had a heart attack, expecting the pokemon to scream. Gengar knew exactly what he was doing and Guzma was pissed at him. He did not want to have to deal with his enemy at the moment and gengar was intent on waking its master up. 

Both pokemon and human stared each other down for what seemed like ages. Guzma slowly reached for the door handle behind his back, thinking that the ghost didn't notice. Gengar let out a loud cry, making Guzma fall over and land up against the door.

You woke up quickly, your gaze snapping to the sight of Guzma on the floor and Gengar hovering over him. Guzma and Gengar were both facing you, confusing you even more. Guzma quickly stood up glaring at you and the ghost pokemon. 

"Why am I here? Are you holding me hostage? Are you going to turn me in?" Guzma snarled. "Your pokemon is a jerk." His mind wasn't processing correctly, and you could tell. He bombarded you with accusations and questions, almost trying to tear your attention from the fact that he had attempted to escape on you. You weren't entirely awake yourself, and got defensive immediately. 

"I helped you! I let you in my house and fixed your injuries!" You shouted back. Sure, maybe it wasn't the best response, but you weren't exactly thinking straight either. "Why were you outside of my house in the middle of the night anyway? I think I deserve to know that!" You seethed. Gengar snickered as he sat back and watched you bicker back and forth with the ex leader. Guzma's anger showed no bounds as he walked towards you. You stood up off the couch and marched over to him. He was so much taller than you, but you still felt like you were the bigger person. 

You glared at each other in silence. Eventually, Guzma started to laugh. You were shocked. You had no idea what to say. "What's so funny you big dope!" You shot at him. 

"You should have seen your face! Why does it get so puffed out and red? Your nose flattens when your pissed." 

Your only response was to just get even more mad at him. You crossed your arms, narrowing your eyes and looking to the side. 

"Listen," Guzma began, rubbing the back of his neck. "I appreciate whatever you did for me, but don't. You should have just let me stay outside." 

You began to remember why you had bothered letting him into your house in the first place. Sure, he was mean, but he was hurt. You sighed deeply. "I couldn't do that. You know I couldn't." 

"Last I checked, you kicked my ass numerous times. Why would you help me?" He raised a brow, looming over you. 

"Look at yourself! You're a mess! You smell awful, you had _blood_ on you, and you probably lost so much of it that it made you pass out! Currently, you are covered in pads of gauze!"

"Yeah, great job with the medical attention there." 

"Oh go fuck yourself," you muttered. "It's not like I wanted to do all of that at midnight."

"Then why did you?"

"Because I am a decent person!" You huffed. You refused to even look at him. You had made a big mistake by letting him in. You regretted it very fast. He was obviously not going to just accept help and instead accuse you. 

Guzma noticed you were disappointed in him. Part of him wanted to storm off and punch something while the other half wanted to actually try to fix the situation. He stood there, continuing to do nothing. He didn't know what to do. His fists clenched and unclenched as he processed you yelling at him. You honestly expected him to lay a hand on you or burst through the front door and leave. 

The tall male instead sat down on the couch. You lifted your head when you saw him sit down. Gengar looked as if he were ready to attack him. He sat awkwardly, not sure what to do with his hands. You wrapped the blanket draped over your shoulders further around yourself, sitting on the opposite side of the couch as far away from him as possible. 

"I don't know what you expect out of me. Do you want me to do you a favor or something?" 

You gave him a look of confusion. Did he really expect to have to pay you back? Was that why he was so ready to leave? You felt guilty for fighting him. He was probably attacking you because he didn't want to give up something he didn't have. You let out a breath of air you didn't even realize you were holding. Calming yourself down, you remembered that you didn't answer him. 

"No..." you murmured. "I don't want anything from you. I just thought that if I helped you I would feel better. You were hurt and I could heal you. That's all. I know you probably don't believe me, and you don't have to. But I won't ask anything from you." 

Guzma looked as if he had stopped listening to you, but that was far from the truth. He had all of his attention on you, but he didn't know what to think of it. 

"...Why weren't you at home?" You asked quietly. "Why are you out on the street?" 

Guzma didn't answer. You didn't expect him to. You yawned, still clearly not awake yet. 

"Alright. You can stay here for as long as you want. I can't guarantee that everything will be okay, but I'm going to try." You could hardly believe you were letting him stay. After numerous encounters with the menace, and the treatment from him, you felt like you'd regret that choice, but anything was better than seeing him suffer. "I'm just going to stop talking about it. This is depressing me and I still have to get ready for the day. You should too, you smell really bad..." 

You got up off the couch, keeping your distance from the taller male. Guzma didn't get up, but he did watch as you left. "I'm going to make breakfast!" You announced, heading towards the kitchen. You could still keep your eye on the living room from there, as there was a counter separating the rooms rather than a wall. 

Getting out ingredients, you prepared pancakes and eggs. You weren't the best cook in the world, but you weren't awful either. You figured they were decent enough. Setting out two plates on the bar, you served the food. You also made tapu cocoa to have with the meal. 

"Guzma. You want some breakfast?"

You watched him sit on the couch stubbornly, but soon get up and trudge over. It was amusing to watch him. He sat down at the bar and raised a brow at the beverage. "How did you know I liked tapu cocoa?" He asked suspiciously. 

"Don't think too much of it. I had to remember that in order to access your room in the mansion." You absent-mindedly sipped your own cup. He took his and drank it before moving on to his pancakes. 

You had never seen someone gorge down food faster than Guzma. It was concerning how quickly he ate. It was like he had starved himself for days. It took him a minute to finish his eggs. You blinked, clearly surprised when you found that his empty plate was being pushed towards you. 

"Do you.... want mine then?" You asked. 

Guzma bit his lip, shaking his head. You had to admit, he was stubborn. You set your plate down in front of him, taking his empty one and washing it off. He hesitated, but did eventually eat more. You said nothing, knowing that it would probably make him want to stop eating. When he was finished, you took his plate and washed it, drying both plates off and putting them away. 

You stretched and turned to him. "I'm going to head to the bathroom and take a shower. Do you want to use it before me? You don't exactly have anything to change into. Do you have clothing somewhere else?"

Guzma scoffed. "Of course! I'm just going to have to go grab em." He leaned on the counter. "I'll get them today and come back, alright?" 

You squinted, but nodded. You heard the sound of padded paws across the floor and the slight buzzing of flight, panicking slightly. Your ledian and espeon entered the room, ready for their breakfast. They saw Guzma sitting at the bar and reacted immediately. 

"No! Wait!" You called. 

Both of them let out a cry and attacked. Espeon hit him with confusion and Ledian used bug buzz, both blasts from the pokemon hitting him square on. Guzma flew backwards and landed on the ground. They were about to continue attacking when you stepped between Guzma and your pokemon, looking over them with a frown. "Stop. That was bad." 

Both pokemon stared up at you, demanding an explanation. 

"Guzma is staying here with us, okay?" 

Their eyes widened. Espeon pawed at your leg and mewed while Ledian gently punched your shoulder, showing his anger. You crossed your arms, narrowing your eyes. They both lowered their heads and let out sounds of apology. Gengar entered the room, coming up to you. 

"Gengar, please watch them and make sure that they don't attack Guzma. He is a guest here. A _guest_." You weren't positive that even Gengar would obey you, but you gave it your best shot. 

Guzma wheezed on the floor, clutching his stomach. 

"Your pokemon... Are crazy..." He croaked. 

Guzma nearly fainted right then and there, but you helped him up and settled him on the couch. 

You had a lot of explaining to do for your pokemon.


	3. Chapter 3

"Now remember. He is not a bad guy, got it?" 

A head nod from your pokemon signified their understanding. You clapped, breathing a sigh of relief. Guzma had watched as you spoke to your pokemon, his arms crossed over his stomach from the attack he had recieved earlier. He scoffed at the way you interacted with your pokemon, but on the inside he couldn't help but admire your close connection with them. He looked back down when you turned on your heel to face him. 

"Why don't you let out your pokemon so they can introduce each other?" 

Guzma took out one of his pokeballs. "You really want me to do that in here?" He asked monotonously, raising a brow. 

"Go ahead. I won't stop you."

"If you say so..." Guzma replied, tossing up the red and white ball in his hands. The capsule popped open, and out came his large gosliopod. His pokemon loomed over you, protecting his master just as your pokemon had done to you. The only difference was the fact that Gosliopod was massive. It glared at you and tensed up as if waiting for the command to attack. 

"Calm down, bud." Guzma pat Gosliopod on his back, making the bug look back at his master and let out a confused sound. "We aren't going to hurt the big champion now, are we? Relax... We are staying here as guests." 

Gosliopod didn't take the news well. He still continued to tense up, not sure how to respond. He didn't trust you, and you could tell that he wanted to fight. Obviously, your pokemon reacted to the offensive stance, moving between you and the large pokemon. Gengar floated between you and the bug, his eyes flicking up to the large creature. Gosliopod and Gengar inched closer until they were face to face, sharing a glare and contemplating who would attack first. 

"Gosliopod. I told you no!" 

"Gengar don't you dare hurt him!"

Both pokemon sunk back at the demands of their owners. They remained at the sides of their trainers, staring each other down. Guzma held Gosliopod's face, murmuring to him. "I know you don't want to be here, but we have to stay somewhere, right? Why don't you try to get along with the others? It might be fun. C'mon, you can do it, ya big lug." 

"Okay, Gengar. I understand you want to fight them, but we just can't do it. They're here for now. Why not be a good host? Give him a proper welcome, alright?" You whispered to your pokemon, the ghost rolling his eyes but understanding you. 

After calming both pokemon down, you separated. Gengar made the first move, hesitantly floating towards Gosliopod. Gosliopod looked down, not wanting to interact. Gengar went right up to Gosliopod and licked his cheek, making the other pokemon visibly shudder. Gengar snickered until Gosliopod did the same thing to him, his eyes widening in surprise. Gengar only laughed harder, and soon the bug pokemon appeared happy. 

"Good. At least that's sorted out." You smiled. "Gengar, why don't you go take Gosliopod outside? I'm sure he'd love to check out the beach." 

Gengar obeyed, gesturing for Gosliopod to follow him. The bug pokemon looked around the room before going to the front door and opening it. Gengar licked his cheek again and Gosliopod whimpered, the ghost letting out a laugh as Gosliopod started to chase him outside.

"Why does your gengar lick things?" Guzma asked. 

You shrugged. "He does it to show affection usually. That and for pranks. Gengar does what he wants."

Guzma chuckled. "He sounds an awful lot like me." 

"Yeah, you two might get along after all." 

Guzma sighed. "The only difference is that he isn't an evil villain..." He sat down on the couch, your own smile fading. He continued to depress you, which didn't help with your already magnified depression. 

"Hey. I hope you know that I never actually saw you as a villain." 

He appeared to perk up when you spoke, tilting his head.

"Yeah, you did some bad things, but most of the time you were just annoying. Your group of grunts just wanted to have fun picking on others. If anything you guys were just wannabe evildoers with nowhere else to go." 

Guzma scoffed. "Our organization was very well coordinated. We did all kinds of cruel stuff." 

You snorted. "Definitely. Yep. I had to go to Po Town just to save one yungoos. And it was a pokemon that you didn't even want anyway." 

Guzma sounded offended. He turned his head down to the couch. "There's more to me than you think. I hope you know that." 

"I figured that out a while ago, Guzma. Mind taking a shower now? I could grab your clothes for you while you're in there. I could go right there and back." 

"I'd have to tell you where they are first." 

"Po Town?" You tilted your head. Charizard would be able to get you to the town easily. 

"Nope." Guzma frowned. "They're at my old house. That was where I stayed after disbanding team skull. It's located on route 2." He frowned, unwanted memories coming back to him.

"Oh wow, then I really can just go there and come back."

"Don't let my parents know why you're there." Guzma stood up, stretching out to his full height and wincing somewhat at the wounds on his back. You couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated by him. He really was tall, even when he slouched. He appeared to notice your change in expression and smirked. "Scared of me or somethin?" 

You huffed. "No. Of course not!" 

"Uh huh." He didn't seem to believe you.

"Go take a shower you dirty hobo." You commented.

"Woah, why'd you have to go there? I'm going! Geez." 

Guzma wandered into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He looked around the room, noticing the med kit on the counter that wasn't put away. Guzma turned to the mirror, shocked by his appearance. It was no wonder that he had been called a dirty hobo. He had so much dirt in his hair that he looked like a brunet and he was covered in mud and sand. His eyes were so tired and sunken in, brought from him having not slept properly for a few days. He grimaced at his own reflection, struggling to tear his eyes away from the pitiful sight. 

He walked over to the shower, and after a solid minute of fiddling with it, he was able to finally turn it on and get it to the right temperature. He had to remove all the gauze on him before going in, which took a while. Patches of gauze were thrown away, letting his injuries breathe. When he was finally ready, he stepped into the shower. The water felt incredible on his back, coating his wounds and relaxing him instantly. He saw how the water turned brown beneath him, scrubbing the dirt out of his hair and off of his body. 

Staying in the shower allowed his mind to wander. He was being helped by his old enemy. He would have to stay there for as long as it took him to get better, whatever that meant. "It's just way too much. Especially for me. I didn't even give thanks for it either. Guzma what is wrong with you?" He knew he was damaged, but being there actually brought forth most of his problems and gave him time to think about them. 

"I can't do this..." 

 

~~~~

 

You knocked on the door of a small house. A woman answered it, her face morphing into a look of surprise when she realized who it was. 

"Hello," you chimed politely. Your gengar trailed behind you, grinning wide. 

"Honey!" The woman called behind her. "The champion of Alola is at our door!" 

You heard a thud, and a man came to the door. He loomed over you, making you realize just where Guzma got his height from. 

"Am I allowed inside?" You asked nervously. "Is this a bad time?" 

The couple shook their heads. "No no no!" The woman said. "Please, come in! I apologize for the mess." She stepped aside, inviting you inside. The woman brought you over to the living room, sitting you down on the couch. Gengar remained standing beside you. The man sat opposite of you on the couch. You couldn't help but notice a bag of golf clubs that sat in the corner of the living room. The clubs looked beat up. You kept your mouth shut, deciding not to ask. The woman entered the room again, standing in the corner. "Would you like something to eat or drink?" 

You shook your head. "No, I'm fine for now. Thank you, though." 

"Why are you here?" The man asked, finally deciding to speak up. His voice made you feel somewhat uncomfortable, but you couldn't understand why. 

"I was just making my way around Melemele," you lied. "I recently moved here." Another lie. You had been living there for a while. "I just wanted to get to know the people here. Kahuna Hala told me it would help my anxiety about being the champion if I met new people." That was not technically a lie. Hala did tell you to meet new faces, but that was still not why you were here and he only briefly mentioned doing that once. 

"How nice!" The woman chirped. The man didn't seem too moved by it, but he eventually smiled. "We are honored to have you here, champion." 

"Thanks." You looked around politely, trying to find any place that might hold Guzma's clothing. You found a room with a big door on it, perking up with interest. "Hey, what's that room?" You asked. 

"Oh that? That's my son's old room. He hasn't been here, however. He's away on his own little adventure." 

You had a feeling that an awful lot of lies would be spewed from both sides on this mission. 

You turned to Gengar, leaning into him. "I need you to find his clothes," you whispered. "Grab them and head back home. Give them to Guzma." You then spoke out loud to him. "Can you head home and let the others know I'll be back soon?" Gengar nodded, knowing what you actually meant. Gengar faded out, and hopefully the couple assumed he merely teleported. 

"What was he like? Your son?" You asked, trying to continue conversation.

The man kept his lip tight, but the woman seemed more than happy to talk about Guzma. "Oh! He used to be the sweetest boy. He might not even be all that much older than you, dear. He was a champion in his own way. He has plenty of trophies to prove it. He was a very stubborn child, very competitive too." 

"That really sounds like him," you thought to yourself. 

"Would you like to go in his room?" 

"W-wha?" You didn't actually expect her to invite you inside his room. "You're going to let me go in there?" 

"Of course! I'm sure my son would be honored to have the champion of Alola in his room." 

"He's gonna kick my ass!" You thought. "Sure! I'd love to see his trophies," you said nervously. The woman nodded and walked over to the room. You didn't see Gengar, so you assumed he was finished fetching clothing. You looked around, admiring all of the medals and trophies that sat in the room and listening to Guzma's mother talk about him when he was younger. There were also pictures of a younger Guzma, making you giggle. 

"Aww he was so cute," you said politely, fighting the urge to snicker. What the hell happened to him? 

"I don't blame him for anything. You might have met him before, or you might not have. He did cause a huge ruckus in the Alola region..." 

"He became a damn brute. That's what happened to him." 

You and the woman turned to the door, seeing her husband stand at the door of Guzma's room. He gripped the sides of the door frame, bringing tension to the room. You immediately didn't like this man. You remained polite, however, saving your inner thoughts. 

The woman began. "Now, honey-" 

"No. You know it's true." He turned to you. "Our son became a delinquent. You be careful if you run into him, alright?" 

You stood up straight. You didn't appreciate the way he spoke of Guzma. He was his son, after all. The man seemed to express only disappointment towards Guzma. As much as you wanted to give him a piece of your mind, you figured that wouldn't be smart. You gave him a head nod, and he seemed to back off. 

"I should probably get going," you muttered, biting the inside of your cheek. 

"Sure! You are probably very busy," the woman said. Guzma's parents followed you out of the house. 

"Thank you for inviting me in!" You called to them as you walked away from the house. Guzma's mother waved goodbye to you as you left while Guzma's father kept a stern glance. Eventually, you heard the door shut. Your polite smile quickly dissipated.

Walking down the street, you processed the information you got from going to Guzma's old house. His mother didn't seem to be any issue whatsoever. However, Guzma's father left a tense air around him. You couldn't help but feel uncomfortable around him. There had to be a good reason for that. You wanted to ask Guzma what it was about, but you doubted he would want to talk to you about it. 

You lifted your head as you approached your house. You hoped that Gengar got back to Guzma with his clothing like you asked. You approached the door, throwing it open. 

"Guzma, I'm back!" You called. Receiving no reply, you grew concerned. "Guzma?" You saw that the door to your room was partially open. You walked over to it, grasping the handle. 

Bracing yourself, you opened the door slowly.


	4. Chapter 4

"Guzma?..."

You stepped into your bedroom. You didn't hear a reply, but you saw a form on your bed, buried under your covers. The Guzma-sized lump didn't move, and a soft noise from the bed indicated that he was asleep. 

You didn't think you had ever seen Guzma so comfortable before. It was calming to look at. You couldn't see him clearly, but his white hair peeked out from under the blanket. You wondered how exhausted he had been. He looked like a zombie when you first saw him, the bags under his eyes darker than usual and his whole appearance rugged and marred. Now he was content and healthier. 

You watched him for a few seconds before deciding to leave him alone, closing the door. He was obviously exhausted, and you didn't mind him resting in your bed. That just meant he would be out of your way while you took care of your house and pokemon. 

You spent the afternoon cleaning the house up. You didn't really have to, but you needed something to do to keep yourself occupied. At noon, you made a sandwich for yourself and a larger sandwich for Guzma. You decided to leave the sandwich on the dresser in your room rather than wake Guzma up to give it to him. You figured that if you did try to wake him up, he would be grumpy and noncompliant. You tried to stay away from your bedroom as much as possible while he was sleeping, and remain as quiet as possible while in the house.

You did go out and do some training with your pokemon that day. Guzma had left Gosliopod out, so you got to play with him for a while. The bug pokemon was getting antsy from not doing anything around the house, so you offered it a battle. Upon throwing Gengar out, he accepted the challenge in an instant. Gosliopod was actually decent at battling even without Guzma giving him orders. He put up a good fight, but you still finally took him down. After the battle was over, you gave Gosliopod a full revive and some pokebeans, which he accepted heartily. You praised Gengar for his hard work, giving him some as well. 

When the sun started to go down, you settled on the back porch and faced the ocean, relaxing on the bench outside. Staring out at the water let you recollect your thoughts about what had come of the visit to Guzma's house, which had been running through your mind almost all day. 

Obviously, Guzma had some problems with his parents. His mom was nice enough, but his dad was questionable. You couldn't help but trail back to the golf clubs, and what could have possibly caused them to be so beaten up. The way Guzma's father spoke to you at times was nerve-wracking, and he didn't seem pleased with his son in the slightest. You didn't want to stay at their house for very long, opting to leave as soon as you were sure Gengar had retrieved what you were looking for. You wanted to clear your thoughts, you couldn't seem to pry away that encounter from your head. You weren't sure whether you wanted to tell Guzma about that or just keep silent.

The man in question stepped outside just as you began thinking about him, just by sheer coincidence. He had the sandwich you had made earlier in one hand, taking a bite out of it and chewing away. His sunglasses were perched back on top of his head, pushing his bangs out of his face. You didn't face him, instead watching him from your peripheral vision. He knew you were still looking at him despite your efforts to show otherwise.

"Hey," he said. 

"Hey," you replied tiredly. Your day really had been a long one.

He sat down beside you on the bench, looking out at the beach. You brought your foot up on the bench, letting the other one stretch out. You wrapped your arms around the bent leg, resting your head on top of that. Guzma finished his sandwich quickly, sitting quietly beside you. 

"So how'd you do it?" He asked, breaking the silence. "Did they just hand over my clothes?" 

"I kinda sorta maybe... stole them..." you admitted sheepishly. 

Guzma chuckled. "I didn't think ya had it in you! Your gengar gave me a good spook in the bathroom. He fazed through the wall near the shower and threw em at me. Scared the hell outta me." 

You grinned when you remembered giving Gengar the command to hand him his clothes directly. You thought he would just put them on the counter. Of course your pokemon would take the opportunity to startle the houseguest when it struck. 

"Yeah... Like I said. He does what he wants." 

"You do too, ya thief." 

You sighed, both of you sitting in silence for a while. The brighter stars began to come out, twinkling bright in the orange and pink sky while the rest remained hidden. You sighed happily, tipping your head up. 

"How'd they react to you?" Guzma asked, turning his head to face you. You brushed him off. 

"They were nice, for the most part." 

"Did my dad... do anything to you?-"

"No! Neither of them did anything..." You were taken aback by his question. Did he expect his father to do something? "He just kind of made me feel uncomfortable." You shrugged. "It was just tense air." 

"Figures..." Guzma huffed. He stared off into the distance, reflecting on everything that went on at his old house. The memories he kept secret still got to him. You could tell he was contemplating it and only making himself feel worse.

"I didn't want to talk with you in case you wanted to avoid thinking about it..." 

"I'll be fine!" Guzma seethed, contradicting his statement. He looked as if he were ready to punch something. You furrowed your brows, placing your hand on his forearm. His anger seemed to slowly subside at your contact. Realizing this, you then moved on to further lull him. You hummed softly to him to try and calm him down, tracing shapes into his arm with your thumb. 

Eventually, he stopped what he was doing and listened to you. His breathing settled down and he began to relax, sitting back on the bench. You didn't take your eyes off of him, smiling softly when you saw his expression change. You broke the contact, moving to put your hand down. Before you could do that, however, he grabbed your wrist gently and set it down beside you. He moved his hand there on top of yours, confusing you. 

"...H-how did you do that?" He asked you. 

"I dunno. I just sorta did it." You weren't sure exactly what he was referring to, so you couldn't place an actual answer. Calming him down was easy, keeping him that was was the hard part. 

"You're really weird," Guzma grunted, taking his hand off of yours and shoving it into his hoodie pocket. You weren't going to comment. You figured that was Guzma's odd way of thanking you for helping him. 

The sky had turned a lovely dark red color, the sun barely peeking out over the ocean. The moon would be out soon, illuminating the beach while the sun wasn't shining. You saw a few wingulls fly off in the distance, most likely settling into their own little nests. More stars began to show themselves, creating shapes in the sky. You got lost in the sight before you, forgetting that Guzma was on the porch with you. You stretched out on the bench, getting ready to fall asleep right then and there. Your foot acccidentally touched Guzma's pant leg, and you sat up again, smiling sheepishly. 

"Sorry," you muttered. Guzma wasn't even looking at you. Instead, his gaze was fixed on the sky. 

"No worries," came the response. You pondered if he had gotten lost in the stars just like you did. You yawned, fighting the urge to fall asleep. You were surprised that Guzma hadn't felt tired yet, until you recalled him having slept for a majority of the afternoon. You rested your head back, admiring the odd warmth of the bench. 

"So what's the deal? You gonna fall asleep on me?" Guzma's voice snapped you out of your thoughts. You picked your head up off of the bench, where his arm had been resting. You hadn't even realized you moved so close to him. The bench wasn't all that big, so you were practically side by side anyway. 

"No..." you whined. You hesitated before adding a quiet "maybe..." 

Your mind wasn't at peak performance when you were tired, so the half-hearted reaction was typical. Guzma smiled, making you scrunch your nose.

"Alright, bed time for you." 

"No," you said firmly, using sheer willpower to prevent your eyes from closing. You frowned up at the tall male. Guzma wasn't going to have it. He stood up and loomed over you, placing his hands on his hips.

"I swear, I will lift you up off of this bench if you don't follow me inside." 

You remained planted to the bench, glaring at Guzma in defiance. He paused, admiring your stubbornness. Finally, he shrugged his shoulders. 

"Alright. You asked for this." 

Before you could protest, he hefted you up, throwing you over his shoulder. "Hey! No! Put me down!" You playfully punched his back as he opened the door to the house. 

"Nope. I'm bringing you to bed. You need it _way_ more than I do." 

"Jerk," you huffed, going limp in his hold and letting him carry you to your room. 

He hoisted you over his shoulder and onto the bed, the furniture item creaking when you bounced on it once before settling down. The mattress felt amazing under you, and the soft blankets had you drifting off. "I'm not going to bed..." you mumbled, yawning again. 

"Sure you are," Guzma replied. "It looks as if you're falling asleep right now, twerp." He turned to leave, but you grabbed his arm. 

"Okay, but just one thing before you go."

"...Sure thing. What is it?" Guzma turned back to you, his interest peaked. He leaned down and waited patiently for a response. 

"Wanna go swimming tomorrow?" You asked. Your voice was partially muffled by the blankets pressed to your face and your words were strung together in tired babble. Guzma smiled. 

"Alright. Let's go swimming tomorrow." 

"You promise?" You gave him a stern look. He could tell you weren't messing around, which just made your request for a promise all the more ridiculous. "You'd better promise." 

"Yeah," he chuckled. "I promise." 

He stood up to leave again, shutting the lights to your bedroom off. 

"G'night, Guz..." you murmured, curling up into your pillow.

"Goodnight, y/n." 

You shifted away from the door as Guzma closed it slowly. He shook his head at your stubbornness, smiling to himself. He stepped out into the living room, making his way over to the television area. He removed his sunglasses and put them on the coffee table, throwing himself onto the couch. Unfolding the blanket next to the couch, he tossed it over him. He was too tall for the couch, but he didn't mind. He was too big for a majority of the furniture in your house. He wrapped his arms around a pillow, holding it close to his chest. Slowly, he began to nod off. He was going to need the energy.

He _did_ promise he would go swimming tomorrow.


	5. Chapter 5

When you woke up, you found yourself lying in your own bed. You still had yesterday's clothing on and your shoes had been kicked messily onto the floor, your socks strewn about. You furrowed your brows, trying to recollect the events of the night before. You remembered Guzma pulling you over his shoulder and dumping you on the bed, feeling a smile tug at your lips. You fought him, but that was a wasted effort. Guzma looked powerful just standing alone; lifting you off the ground with one swift move definitely showed he had strength. You tried to remember conversations and other actions. Unfortunately, you couldn't recall anything else. 

You sighed, pulling yourself out of bed. You stretched out and yawned, walking over to the door to the living room and opening it. You were surprised by how quiet it was. You pictured Guzma would be snoring on the couch or his Gosliopod would be roaming around the living room, but neither of them were there. You didn't think much of it at first, but soon your mind anxiously trailed to multiple different situations and possible explanations, coming to the awful conclusion that they might have left for good. You didn't think Guzma would just walk out and leave you without saying anything, but you still stressed about it anyway. You figured that more investigating was necessary, so you decided to look around.

You glanced over the couch, just to make sure he wasn't actually there. Rather than finding him, though, you discovered his hoodie. The big black sweatshirt took up most of the couch, making you realize just how big Guzma actually was. At least that meant he would return, calming you down. You picked up the hoodie, wondering if you should fold it or wear it. You blushed when you thought about wearing it, setting the hoodie aside to push the thoughts away. There was no way your were going to do that. If he caught you putting it on you were sure you'd be dead. 

You decided to take a shower, gathering your clothes and going into the bathroom. You relaxed under the water, washing yourself off. While you were cleaning yourself up, you didn't hear the front door to your house open. You stepped out of the shower, humming to yourself as you dried off and got dressed. 

You opened the door to enter the living room, when you were pelted in the face by something. You squealed, looking down to figure out what had just hit you. You saw the hoodie you had found earlier lying at your feet. You heard laughing, picking your head up to see Guzma standing a few feet away from you. You shot him a glare. "What was that for?" You snapped bitterly. 

"Why wasn't this where I left it?" He shot back with a grin, noticing your face heat up. 

"I just wondered what it was..." you muttered.

"It's mine." 

"Yeah, I know that," you scoffed, heading over to the kitchen.

"And this is yours!"

Before you could ask what he meant by that, yet another item was flung at you. You caught it this time, staring down at it. In your hands was a small egg and cheese sandwich. It was still warm, which meant he must have just gotten it. "A sandwich?" You asked, raising a brow at him skeptically.

"I can't cook," Guzma shrugged, taking out his own and digging into it. That explained why he wasn't home when you woke up. 

"Thanks," you said, unwrapping the food more and taking a bite. It tasted like any standard fast food breakfast sandwich. You sat at the bar and pulled out a stool for Guzma, which he kindly took. 

"So... looks like we're swimming today," Guzma spoke between bites of food. You tilted your head in question. He pretended not to notice. "That was what you told me last night. Made me promise and everything. You sure as hell are stubborn." 

Realization hit you hard. You did say that, didn't you?  
You could only imagine what other kinds of crazy stuff you said to him while you were practically asleep. "Shit. Guz, I'm so sorry for whatever I did while I was overtired." You apologized profusely, panic setting in.

"Geez, calm down! You didn't do anything wrong! You make it sound as if you committed a crime or something..." He finished his food, tossing the wrapper in the trash can. Buying fast food wasn't the most romantic or thoughtful gift, but you still thought the gesture was sweet. He at least tried to do something nice for you, and it was appreciated. 

"By the way, you can wear it if ya want," Guzma spoke up. You raised your eyebrow at him, looking for context. "The sweatshirt you seem so fond of. I'm sure it'll look fine on you. Pretty sure that was what you wanted to do anyway." 

You felt your face heat up, which he saw and laughed at. You glared at him, but eventually just rolled your eyes. Guzma lifted the hoodie up off of the floor, throwing it over your shoulders. You nearly disappeared under the jacket, wrapping it around yourself. "I ain't letting you keep it though. You can wear it, just as a token of friendship." 

_A token of friendship_. You didn't know why that statement hurt you. You were happy that Guzma was beginning to warm up to you and his situation, but you still felt a hint of pain when he said that. You couldn't explain it. You felt guilty in a way. You wanted to forget about it and move on, but you were captivated by it. 

Your face must have shifted to suit your emotions, because Guzma had noticed. He gave you a look of concern. "You okay? You look as if I just gave you bad news." You snapped out of your thoughts upon hearing him, facing him and giving him a small smile. 

"Nothing, Guzma. You're fine." 

He didn't appear convinced, but he didn't press further either. You honestly thought he would, but the man always seemed to surprise you. "Alright. Are you ready to go out for our beach day?" 

"I just took a shower..." you thought, your face taking on a glum expression.

Guzma continued, disregarding your negative change in attitude. "We could just stay here for it. You do have a private beach. We can also go inside when we get bored. No one will bother us." 

"That's true..." You said. "Do you have your bathing suit?" You asked Guzma. He nodded. 

"Your gengar brought me just about every clothing item I own." 

You were going to have to show Gengar more appreciation. The pokemon really did know what you wanted and he served you well. "Okay. Get changed then. I'll take the bedroom and you can change in the bathroom." 

Guzma nodded, going into your room to grab his swim trunks before entering the bathroom and shutting the door. You went into your room, taking out your own bathing suit and putting it on. You still thought it was ridiculous that Guzma wanted to go through with something you said when you were drunk tired, but you had to applaud the fact that he remembered just to make you happy. Besides, you needed something more to do than stay in the house or do errands.

You stepped out on the porch and waited for Guzma. You released all your pokemon, sending them off to go play in the sand and the water. You gave Gengar a hug for bringing Guzma all of his clothes like you had asked. The ghost licked your cheek and ran off, playing with the others. Your ledian stuck by you, rather than going in the water. It took some urging, but eventually you managed to get him to try it out and swim around. To your surprise and his, he swam easily. 

You were holding Ledian in the shallow water to help him swim when you heard the door to your house open. You turned your head towards the sound and paled.

"Hey! Y/n!"

Guzma leapt off of the porch and bolted towards you. His pokemon scattered behind him to play. He moved surprisingly fast in the sand, and nothing seemed to trip him up. You moved Ledian out of the way as fast as possible, having to toss the poor pokemon to the side. Guzma rammed into you, tackling you into the water and causing a massive splash. When you realized where you were, Guzma had his arms wrapped around you, both of you sitting in water that went up to your chests. 

"Hi!" He greeted. 

"What the hell was that for?" You whimpered. You didn't even realize Guzma was holding you tight. You were still in shock from being tackled. Guzma laughed, using one hand to brush his bangs out of his eyes. You turned around in his lap to face him, and nearly started chuckling yourself. His once fluffy white hair now stuck to his face, poking up in a few directions and covering his eyes. You helped him brush the hair away, then gave him a good punch in the arm for scaring you. 

"Ow! Hey! What the hell?" 

" _That's_ for startling me!" You growled. 

"Alright, I deserved that..." 

"Mhm..." 

You both sat in silence, awkward tension around you. 

"Hey, Guz?" 

"Hm?"

"Are you gonna let me go? Swimming means _actually_ swimming."

Guzma's cheeks turned pink as he released his grasp. You freed yourself from him and splashed him in the face. He came after you, continuously splashing you and laughing. 

"Heh! It's been a while since I've done this..." He trailed off, a smile still plastered on his face. 

"Why'd you stop?"

"..."

"Never mind. You don't have to tell me." 

"That's the weird thing about you... You should want to know." Guzma rubbed the back of his neck. "You're curious about it, but you don't want to go further. Why do you confuse yourself like that? I know for a fact your stubborn. I have had first hand experience. Why do you just give up like that?" 

You had never thought about what Guzma brought up until now. You bit your lip, trying to think of something to say. You weren't sure what he wanted to hear. Sure, you did want that knowledge, but you supposed that you didn't want to ask because...

"I respect you," you said. 

Guzma couldn't believe what your answer was. "You respect me? Really? The big bad ex team skull leader boss? Hell, I couldn't even do that right." He looked down, his happy attitude fading into something you didn't quite understand. 

You frowned. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I?" 

"Y/n-... I just... I don't see how. I've been awful to you." He ran his hand through his hair. "I messed everything up. I screwed my life over for nothing. I'm a nuisance. No one likes me. I gave up." 

"...I like you..." 

He looked at you sadly. "You just want to be nice. Really, I'm a horrible person. I-"

You reached forwards and grabbed Guzma's wrists. "You listen to me right now." You gave him a firm stare, your grip on his wrists tightening. "I'm not just doing this because I'm some happy nice person. You know I'm not like that. I'm a pretty terrible person myself." You paused momentarily, sighing to yourself as you let go of Guzma and held on to yourself.

"Do you know what it's like being the champion? It's lonely. People either want to fight you immediately or avoid stepping near you in case you want to fight." You threw your hands up. It was now or never. He was listening, so you would tell. 

"My life is boring! Day in and day out I have to wait for trainers to come to my rink and lose to me. I crush dreams for a living! I am forced to do this as a routine and I can't afford to stop or I risk letting down everyone. I'm depressed! There! I said it!" 

You felt your eyes start to water up. The reality of it all was too much for you. Guzma didn't open his mouth. Instead, he pulled you closer to him. 

"I'm sorry..." Guzma whispered. 

You didn't think you would ever hear him say those two words together. You wrapped your arms around him, resting your head to his chest. He held your head there, trying his best to soothe you. There was silence, save for the pokemon playing off in the distance and the waves crashing on the shore. 

"I guess you and I aren't so different, huh?..." 

You shook your head. He bit the inside of his cheek, contemplating what else he could possibly say. Eventually, without hesitation, he decided to lift you up again. You held onto him, a look of shock crossing your face. He smiled down at you, sheer determination on his features. 

"Well! You have to go back there and do it all again tomorrow. I know you can get through it. You're gonna be okay. Tomorrow you will be refreshed and ready to battle. But tomorrow is not now. Right now, I promised you that we were going to swim, so we are going to swim. The second I put you down, you are going to stand up, wipe the tears from your face, and probably try to beat me up or splash me for doing this." 

You looked at him with confusion. "Doing what?-" 

He dropped you in the water, the cold waves hitting you hard. You surfaced quickly, gasping for air. Just as Guzma had predicted, you stood up as best as you could. A glare flashed on your face as you pushed hair away from your eyes and chased after Guzma, who was already fleeing from you. 

"Get back here you asshole!" You shrieked with rage, listening to his cackling as you tried to get to him. 

His words echoed in your head, reminding you that you were going to be okay. 

You began to laugh hysterically as you waded through the ocean, unsure of whether the water on your cheeks were from joyous tears or seawater.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The angst and fluff mix no one asked for! You know you love writing something when you don't constantly check to see if you achieved your minimum character count. I was going to make this a fun little fluffy chapter with a happy beach day but as I was writing I just scrapped half of that and said "y'know what? Screw that! This angst right here would be perfect instead!" 
> 
> They're growing closer! And neither fully realize yet! This is exciting.


	6. Chapter 6

You began to realize a few things about yourself within the two days that Guzma returned to your life. 

For one thing, you smiled more. A real smile, rather than the fake ones that you tended to give to everyone for show as the champion. You didn't have to pretend around him, he just somehow made it happen. Whether it be him doing something amusing or just being around for you, the grin on your face didn't cease. You had smiled more in the past two days than your had for what may have been weeks. 

Another thing that was brought to your attention was the odd feeling in your gut when you were around him. This wasn't the feeling of a sick stomach. It felt rather nice. It was hard to explain, but you knew for sure that it had to do with him. It had to be him, you had never felt it before he came back. Guzma had a strange effect on you, and you could tell that you weren't alone there. 

Currently, you were both drying off on the back porch. Guzma vigorously rubbed a towel into his hair, and you watched as it somehow managed to puff up again and get in his face. When you were done with your towel, you simply set it on the porch railing. Guzma did the same, turning to go inside the house. You watched him leave, trailing off into your own thoughts.

The whole day was spent swimming and hanging out on the beach. You didn't think you would stay entertained for literal hours, but that was what had happened. Your pokemon had mini battles on their own with Guzma's pokemon, cheering each other on and playing games. You and Guzma talked and had splash fights for a majority of the day, occasionally joining in to the pokemon games. It had been a long time since you were able to actually have fun and relax like this. You had gotten the beach with the purpose of using it, but you just either didn't have the time or never felt like you wanted to go. It was lonely at your house, even with your pokemon. 

"Hey, we gonna make dinner?" Guzma asked you, popping his head through the back door. You smiled and walked over. 

"I need to change first, but yeah." 

The sky was dusted with a light pink, cotton candy clouds decorating it and the sun just barely beginning to set. Scenes like that were perfect. They helped you enjoy life a little bit more. You let out a sigh, turning and heading inside. You fed all your pokemon and Guzma's, small dishes spread out in the living room so they could all be out and eating at once. Afterwards, you hopped in the shower and changed into some pajamas. You didn't think you'd be going out anywhere, so they were fine. 

Heading towards the kitchen, you grabbed Guzma's hoodie off of the couch and put it on. It was big on you, but you didn't care. The hoodie was nice and warm, and you felt like you wanted to cuddle into it. You shook the thoughts out of your head, going to greet Guzma in the kitchen. 

"So, I was thinkin' we make wraps. That's just because I don't really know how to cook well." Guzma smiled sheepishly. You shrugged. 

"That sounds fine by me. I can't cook all that well either. I can cook the meat to put in them though! That's about it. You set up the wraps and I'll get to that." 

Guzma gave you a nod and got to work. He took out the tortillas and set them on plates. He then dug through your fridge and filled the tortillas with all kinds of different ingredients, some of which you didn't even know you bought. In the meantime, you took out the meat and set it on a frying pan, cooking it carefully. You felt content, just working beside the big ex boss. You yawned as you stirred the meat in the pan, only to let out a squeak as Guzma pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over your head. 

"Don't do that you big dope! I'm cooking!" You shot at him angrily. 

"Big dope?" He asked, snickering. "What kind of an insult-"

"Shut up. You know what I meant. What do you want?"

"I'm done with the wraps."

"O-Oh..." You flushed with embarrassment. "Well then go sit on the couch and wait for me. I'll wrap these up and serve them." He did as you asked, sitting down and giving his Gosliopod attention. You finished cooking the meat and cut it up. You added some small spices and put the strips in the wraps, folding them up to the extent of your ability and picking up the plates. 

You walked over to the coffee table and set the plates down in front of Guzma. You sat on the floor across from Guzma, who raised a brow. "You don't want to sit up on the couch with me? I don't bite, I promise. Unless you have it coming, or you ask nicely." 

You rolled your eyes at him, your cheeks dusting pink. You doubted Guzma could be romantic in any way. You didn't necessarily care either. After all, you were just good friends getting to know each other better. That was definitely all that was between you. 

"You okay y/n? You zoned out."

You snapped out of your thoughts and stared up at him. "I'm okay. Sure. I'll sit with you." You got up off of the floor, joining Guzma on the opposite side of the couch. You picked up your wrap, digging in. Guzma finished his meal quickly, sitting back on the couch. You had just taken another bite of your own wrap when you felt Guzma drape his arm over your shoulder. You mentally slapped yourself when your immediate reaction was to lean into him.

You finished eating, deciding to just lean back with Guzma on the couch. "It's your turn to sleep in the bed tonight..." you mentioned jokingly. Guzma huffed in amusement. 

"It's your bed. I ain't taking it."

You shrugged. "I don't mind. Sometimes I fall asleep outside and my gengar just puts a blanket on me." 

"He doesn't just bring you inside?" Guzma tilted his head. 

"I don't think he wants to wake me up. He's nice about it. He watches over me and makes sure I'm taken care of before I wake up." 

Guzma nodded. "He's loyal to you. Like my gosliopod is to me me. I had him since he was a wimpod." Upon hearing his name, Guzma's gosliopod perked up and went over to you. You weren't afraid of him anymore, and he had warmed up to you just like Guzma did. You reached your hand up and pet him on the head, the bug pokemon chirping contentedly. You smiled and let go, your gengar giving a jealous glare from the corner of the room. Gengar approached Guzma, licking the side of his face affectionately and making Guzma shudder. You and Gengar laughed, watching Guzma wipe ghost saliva off of his face. 

You pet both Gengar and Gosliopod, both pokemon quick to sit around you and shove Guzma away from you. Guzma frowned, giving a look of betrayal at Gosliopod. "Really? You too? What about your boy?" Guzma was crushed when Gosliopod merely turned to stare at him, shrugged, and nuzzled you. You giggled, pushing his face away from you. Gengar came up on your other side, doing the same thing. 

"C'mon you guys... Go play or something!" You moved your hands in front of your face and tucked your elbows in, trying to hide your sides. Guzma seemed to notice you tense up when they were close to your sides, smirking to himself. 

"Alright, alright. Break it up..." He said, moving the pokemon away so he could sit closer to you again. You let out a sigh of relief when they finally moved away from you. The relaxation was short lived when Guzma poked your side, making you squeak and move away. "Sensitive, huh?" He grinned. You flipped him the bird, which didn't appear to faze him much. He paused, waiting for you to calm down. 

Without a warning, Guzma tackled you, pinning you down to the couch. Your heart raced and your eyes widened as you stared at him with shock. He tickled your sides, making you fidget and laugh and emit weird noises. "Hey! Ack! Haha! S-stop! Ah! Hnn! No!" He watched you with glee, eventually stopping so you could breathe. 

You finally managed to catch your breath, your face turning red as you realized what position you were in. Guzma didn't seem to care much. You pressed your palms to his chest, gently pushing him up so he wasn't so close to you. He got the message, sitting back up again. You punched him playfully in the gut. "Don't do that!" 

"Couldn't help myself. You were open. Besides, you're cute when you do that."

"No I'm not, shut up." 

"Don't doubt yourself. It was adorable."

"I'm gonna kill you, Guz." 

"You're gonna say that a lot, aren't you?" He got up off of the couch, picking up the plates and going into the kitchen to wash them. You layed down on your back with a sigh, staring up at the ceiling. You heard the sink shut off when Guzma was done, and the sound of feet across the floorboards heading towards you. "You gonna get off my bed now?" He asked, putting his hands on his hips and slouching over you. 

You nodded, but didn't move. Your whole body felt tired. If he wanted you to get off, he was going to have to make you do it. Which was exactly what he did. Guzma grabbed your ankles, tugging you off of the couch so that you gently slid to the floor. He then dragged you slowly to your bedroom. He lifted you up off the floor and set you on your bed, throwing a blanket over you.

"Goodnight, y/n..." he mumbled with a yawn. 

"Goodnight, Guzma." 

Guzma turned to leave. 

"Wait..." You said quietly. He huffed, smiling and shaking his head. This seemed like a repeat of last night. 

"What is it this time?" He asked. 

"Thank you..." you said quietly. "For everything... For just being around and being you... I don't think I could ask for anything other than your company..." You settled into your pillow, nuzzling it softly. Guzma was surprised by what you had said, but he nodded his head. 

"Thanks for letting me stay here. You're one hell of a person. I couldn't thank you enough for letting me in and showing me how to have actual fun again, at least, without it being illegal or dangerous." 

You yawned, muttering something that should have been incoherent.

"I love you..." 

The words struck Guzma hard. He had never expected to hear them aimed towards him. He stared at you in a mix between joy and terror, which you were too tired to even see.

You started to drift off, and he watched you until you fell asleep. He slowly walked out of the room, closing the door quietly and leaning against it with a sigh. He looked down at the floor, his mind running wild at the interaction that took place seconds ago. He moved a hand to his head, brushing back his hair. 

That couldn't have been right. Guzma didn't believe it. He wouldn't mention it to you. You were just tired, after all. Your mind wasn't processing everything around you correctly. You most likely wouldn't recall saying it to him anyway. It hurt him to know you wouldn't actually remember, but he simply accepted that. He didn't deserve you. You should have much better than him. He wouldn't let you stoop so low. 

Guzma shook his head, disregarding the words that echoed in his mind. He wandered over to the couch, dropping down onto it. The air in the living room was cool, which helped him greatly now that he felt like he was burning. He moved around on the couch, shifting on it and trying to find sleep. He ended up lying on his back and staring up at the ceiling, clenching the bridge of his nose. He was broken. You were wrong. You had to be. No matter how hard he tried, he knew he wouldn't be able to let go. 

"Guzma, what is wrong with you?..."


	7. Chapter 7

Going to bed wasn't the hardest thing for you to do. 

Getting up on time was murder. 

You groggily woke up, not wanting to actually go anywhere. Gengar was snoring beside you, cuddling into your side and preventing you from moving without waking him up. You gently shook him awake, the pokemon sticking his tongue out at you before floating upwards. You rolled out of bed and moved towards the closet, throwing it open. You got dressed and inspected yourself in the mirror. Gengar waited patiently on the bed for you to finally leave. Once you deemed yourself good enough to go out in public, you stepped out of your room, greeting Gosliopod in the living room. 

You walked by the couch, noticing Guzma was still fast asleep. You smiled down at him. He had his arms wrapped around a pillow and was resting his chin on it, curled up around it and taking up almost all of the space on the couch. White hair stuck up everywhere, making you chuckle quietly. He looked adorable, in his own strange way. You considered waking him up to tell him that you were leaving to the league, but you knew he would probably just be waiting for you to come back home and he'd be upset at you for waking him up. Instead, you wrote him a small note, leaving it on the coffee table and putting his sunglasses on top of it. 

You walked out the door, deciding to just get take out breakfast on the way to the league. It was simple and you wouldn't be late. You summoned a Charizard and headed out, stopping for food. When you arrived, the Charizard quickly flew off, leaving you alone once again. You took your sandwich out of the bag, eating it while you walked to the league entrance. You couldn't get your mind off of the idea of Guzma and Gosliopod alone at your house. You didn't believe they would steal or break anything on purpose, but Gosliopod was a big pokemon. You could picture him accidentally bumping into things and breaking them. The thought made you cringe slightly. 

Your schedule was simple. You were filled in on challengers by Kukui, then you would stay in your section of the league and wait for them to arrive. You would battle challengers until there weren't any more for that day, and then you could go home. Luckily, sometimes there weren't many, and often times they were held up by the elite before you. You occasionally spent days just sitting in the room waiting for hoards of trainers to come only to end up not meeting any of them. 

You walked into a break room that was off to the side from the elite rooms. Kukui greeted you with the same cheerful grin he always seemed to have. You wondered how he could be so happy doing the same thing almost every day. You supposed it was because he had someone to help him through it, or because he simply loved repetition. Kukui was a very strange man. Sometimes his optimism rubbed off on you, while other times it bordered on obnoxious. 

"You ready to defend your title today?" Kukui asked. You got yourself hyped up and prepared your team, nodding to him.

"As ready as I'll ever be. How many do we have?"

"Just five today, cousin! You get to go home early, maybe." He winked at you. You shrugged at him. 

"If you say so. Can we open now?"

"Of course! I'll let everyone know so we can get started." 

"Thanks, Kukui." 

"No problem!"

 

~~~~

 

Guzma woke up late. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was Gosliopod, who was inches apart from his face. He pushed Gosliopod's face away from him playfully. 

"Hey, bud. What's up?" He pet Gosliopod on the head, yawning. Gosliopod moved out of the way, exposing the note you had left for him. Guzma looked at it curiously, picking his sunglasses up and putting them on his head. He lifted the note and opened it, reading to himself. 

_Good Morning, Guz!_

_I'm not going to be home until later. I have to go to the league this week. I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was leaving, but I was worried you'd get mad at me for waking you up! It's not like your life revolves around me anyways. I'll see you hopefully this afternoon. If not, tonight._

_\- Y/N_

Guzma put down the note, smiling to himself. He didn't think he could get mad at you after everything you did for him in the past few days. Well, probably, but it wouldn't last very long. It seemed like you didn't remember what you had said to him last night. Guzma sighed, lying back. He turned to look at his Gosliopod. 

"I'm not gonna say anything..."

Gosliopod nudged him. 

"No. I don't care. I'm not saying anything. Y/n wasn't in the right mind. Stop giving me that look. You're being irrational."

Gosliopod wouldn't stop nudging Guzma. He knew that his master wanted what he was refusing and _he_ was actually the one being irrational. Guzma could only see rejection in his head. They used to be enemies. He was worried that they were going a bit fast. Sure, they may not have been total enemies, but he didn't see them getting together any time soon. Still, it was worth a shot. 

Guzma eventually sighed. "What should I do?" Guzma asked. "Plan some big dinner at a fancy restaurant or somethin'? You want me to be all cliche? That's where you're trying to go, bud."

Gosliopod nodded, making Guzma snort. "Nah. I wouldn't do something _that_ cheesy. Here's the deal. I'll follow through on a night out, just to see where things go. If it works, I owe you five pokebeans. If it doesn't and you ruin my chances with y/n, I'll put gross stuff in 'em." 

Gosliopod cringed, making Guzma laugh. He got up and picked up the note you left, flipping it over and writing down his ideas for the evening. He refused to stick to some socially normal date night. Gosliopod occasionally nodded or shook his head to express distaste and approval of ideas, and eventually they came up with a whole plan. 

Guzma couldn't wait for you to get home. 

 

~~~~

 

"Great job!"

You had just defeated another challenger, sending him on his way with a "good luck next time!" and a pat on the shoulder. You were expecting two more people to show up. On some days, you waited for hours for the challenger, only to hear that they were defeated early. It was a shame, but you did have your title to defend. You checked the time, realizing that it was late in the afternoon. You decided to call up Kukui, just to check progress. 

"Hey, Kukui. Mind telling me what's happening down there?" 

"There's one more challenger left, fortunately for you!" You didn't think you would ever hear emotion other than happiness from the strange man. "He's not doing so well. You might be able to leave in a little while!"

"Thanks! That's all I wanted to know!"

"You're never this restless, y/n! Why do you want to leave so bad? Is there something waiting for you back at home?"

"..." You frowned. Kukui looked gullible and naive at times, but he could spot a lie instantly. You knew you couldn't make anything up. That and his joyful attitude creeped you out sometimes. "Yeah. I guess you could say that." You could only pray that Kukui wouldn't continue to prod. You bit your lip, expecting another question. There was a very long pause from Kukui, and you almost wondered if he either zoned out or was in the middle of considering asking you for further context. You let out a nearly audible sigh of relief when he finally answered. 

"Well, y/n! You're in luck then! The challenger just lost so you can go home. You are free to do whatever is at your house now." 

"Really?!" You were half surprised by how fast the results were and half frustrated at Kukui for leaving you in silence for so long and making you jump to conclusions. 

"Uh, yeah!" Kukui seemed taken aback. "Go ahead! I'll tell everyone else that you left early and couldn't talk. See you tomorrow, y/n! Great job today!" 

You rushed out of the champion room and fled the league as fast as your legs could carry you. Once you were outside, however, you stopped. Why were you getting so worked up? It wasn't like you had to be home immediately. You forced yourself to walk at a leisurely pace, summoning a charizard and hopping on its back. The charizard sped through the air to melemele island, reflecting your need to get home quickly. 

When you were dropped off, you thanked the charizard and dismissed it. You walked down the street towards your house. Strolling at your usual pace but wanting to go faster. Guzma could wait, no matter how badly you wanted to go back to him. 

Your heart sped up in your chest as you approached the front door. You had no idea why you were suddenly feeling so nervous. Your palms were sweating, which was unusual for a somewhat cold night. You shook your head. You needed to stop being so ridiculous. Your life didn't revolve around him and his life didn't revolve around you. You couldn't fully eliminate your tension, however. 

You threw open the door, announcing your presence. "I'm home!" You called, looking around the living room. Guzma walked out of your bedroom, a big mischevious smile on his face. 

"That can't be good..." you thought. 

"Welcome back," Guzma said. "Now you're gonna come with me." 

_"That can't be good!"_ you thought again. 

Guzma approached you, raising a brow. "Are you okay? You look horrified right now." 

"I'm fine, just tired," you admitted. 

"That's not good. I hope you have enough energy for what we're going to do tonight." 

"Um..."

Guzma turned around and walked towards the front door, now unable to see the bright pink blush on your face from his comment. He took your hand and dragged you outside, worsening the heat already rising to your face. He began to walk down the road, making you tilt your head. No one was outside except for you two. The sky was dark, the sun having set mere minutes ago. Guzma led you through the town. He obviously wasn't going to bring you to somewhere in the town as you eventually reached the route that your mother's house was on. It seemed like Guzma wanted to get to a specific part of the island, but he decided to take the longer path.

"Where are we going?" You finally asked. 

"Somewhere that we won't be bothered," Guzma replied without hesitation. Your eyes widened as your mind began to wander, questioning what _that_ was supposed to mean. 

"O-oh..." you said quietly. 

You figured that this night would certainly be an interesting one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh all the innuendos. Can you spot them all? I might rewrite this so it's better, but at least I updated! Don't worry about this getting a bit frisky, I can assure you right now that it is nothing you are probably thinking of. Anyway, I'll be sure to update this quick. Don't want to leave you hanging especially with that cliffhanger ending!


	8. Chapter 8

You could feel your heart thumping faster in your chest as Guzma led you along towards the unknown destination. Your hands had remained connected since leaving the house. As a result of the constant contact they had become warm and sweaty. You could care less. Guzma stared straight ahead the whole time, never turning his head behind him to look at you. He seemed more focused than you thought was necessary, but you wouldn't say anything. 

You took a turn, recognizing that the path you were taking led to Kukui's lab. You questioned what Guzma was doing, or if he knew where he was going. You decided that asking where you were going again would be somewhat obnoxious, and you probably wouldn't get an answer anyway. As you passed by Kukui's lab and took yet another turn, you felt nervous. The lights were on, so he was probably still awake in there. You were heading towards the tall grass nearby his house. You had a feeling that you knew where he was going with this, but you couldn't fathom why.

Finally, Guzma slowed down. You nearly bumped into his back. He began to walk towards a cave entrance. 

"Ten Carat Hill?" You thought, your suspicions being correct. You didn't really bother to go there, mostly because the cave was irrelevant to your journey. You were too busy exploring other islands to think about the place. Now it just intrigued you that Guzma wanted to go there so badly. You followed behind him, bracing yourself for the darkness. 

Finding your way around the cave wasn't too hard. Guzma silently guided you along in the right direction. The cave was cold and damp. You shivered slightly, which was almost unnoticeable. Guzma realized this, as you watched him take off his hoodie and gently toss it at you. You caught it and put it on, wondering when he would actually put it on you rather than chuck it at your face. 

"Thanks..." you mumbled. He gave you a nod and continued. You frowned when you noticed that there were some rocks up ahead. When you got to them, you thought about summoning a Tauros, but Guzma stopped you. He began to climb them, helping you up over them. "Is that how you guys got around these obstacles?" You asked. 

"You don't need pokemon for everything," Guzma replied. 

"What about getting to different islands?"

"Boats! Duh."

You shook your head. They were most likely stolen boats. You sighed and slid down the boulder, hopping down and almost falling forwards. Guzma caught you quickly, pulling you back onto your feet. "I am _not_ carrying you all the way back if you get a broken ankle or something." He said that, but somehow you knew he would do that if you got hurt. The idea made you smile. 

"How much further do we need to go? We won't be able to stay for very long if we have to go further. I have to go to the league tomorrow." You frowned. Guzma did as well when he realized that you were right. He huffed. 

"Don't worry. We're almost there." 

You were about to question just when you would get there when you saw light up ahead. The gaping mouth of the cave opening was very inviting, especially with the cold cavern you had to go through. Guzma walked towards the light with a grin, which you couldn't see from behind him. He laughed a bit before turning to look at you, waiting to see your reaction. 

"Here it is! Didn't I tell you?" 

You stepped out, your eyes widening. In the middle of the hill itself, there was a massive meadow. Tall grass sat in patches, and flowers were blooming around you. Looking up, you could witness the sky full of stars, framed by the large walls of jagged rock that surrounded the clearing. Wild pokemon were heard roaming some of the grass patches, small paws or little feet scuttling in the distance to get away from the people intruding on their land. The exposed star canopy above made you wonder just how the cave became the way it was. You couldn't stop looking up at the sky. You heard Guzma chuckle behind you. 

"I knew you'd like it..." 

"It's beautiful..." you said quietly. Guzma led you to what appeared to be an elevated patch of grass, where he flopped down on his back. You sat down beside him, still not taking your eyes off of all the stars. You yawned, but you were far from drowsy. 

"Don't fall asleep here, alright? We do have to go back." Guzma muttered. You couldn't see him from your peripheral vision, but he was looking right at you. He bit his lip, trying to figure out how to bring forth his thoughts. "Hey... did you mean that thing you said yesterday before you went to bed?..." He made a face, obviously feeling as if he didn't word that correctly. 

"Guzma, I told you not to take things like that seriously! Whatever it was, I'm so sorry." You turned your head to look at him apologetically. "What did I say? Was it bad?"

He paused, but shook his head, his smile fading. You sensed something almost akin to regret on him. Was that... heartbreak? 

"Nevermind," he muttered. He got up from his spot on the grass, moving towards the tall grass. He looked as if he was hunting for something.

"No, hey." You pouted. "What do you mean? What did I say?" Now you were curious. Guzma continued to avoid answering your questions. You began to get somewhat frustrated with him. What could that have possibly meant? You got up from the mound and approached Guzma. He moved away from you. You growled. "Why are you doing this to me? Did I say something wrong? Why won't you tell me?" You continued to prod at him, which was not the right thing to do. Eventually Guzma's growling got louder and he exploded.

"Stop!" 

Guzma's shout rocked through you, making you freeze. Your face turned to concern as your frustration appeared to fade. Guzma realized what he had done, backing away from you in shock. You both stood in silence for a while, staring at each other. Guzma lowered his head, ashamed that he yelled at you. Upon looking down, he noticed that his fists were clenched. He quickly unclenched them and walked back over to the grass patch. He sat himself down quietly, shuddering at the fact that he had just done that.

Guzma brought his knees to his chest, resting his forehead against them. You slowly went over to him, almost as if to make sure he wasn't going to get mad at you again. You sat down beside him once again, stretching yourself out. You tried to think about what to do when an idea hit you. 

Quietly, you began to hum. Although he didn't show it, you could tell that Guzma was listening. You blushed a bit, worried that you weren't doing well. You hummed louder, feeling the slight wind on your back. Guzma raised his head from his arms and knees, listening to you contentedly. He calmed down and watched you as you gazed off and sang. 

When you finished, you looked over to see if it worked. The second you saw him looking at you, you quickly turned your head away, a bright blush spreading over your face. You cautiously risked a glance at Guzma, hoping that your blush wasn't too visible.

"That was nice... y/n..." Guzma murmured. 

"T-thanks..." you squeaked a little. "I thought it would help." 

"I guess it did..." 

You offered him a sad smile, nearly sighing in relief when a weak one was returned to you. Guzma yawned and stretched out. "You can't fall asleep either," you accused. "There's no way I'm going to be able to carry you all the way back." 

"I'm sure you have the strength in ya..." He yawned lazily. You gave him a nudge to get him to move. "Alright, alright! We'll go home." 

You noticed how Guzma said home as if it was his house too. That made you happy. You both began to go to into the cave again. All the walking was well worth it. You had walked for longer periods of time on your journey anyway. You were side by side with him, able to keep up now that you knew the path. Guzma still helped you over the rocks that you insisted could be bulldozed. Once outside, you handed Guzma his hoodie back. 

"Thanks for letting me borrow it," you said. 

The second the jacket was off, however, you sniffled and shivered. Guzma responded by throwing it right back to you. "Just keep it for tonight! Damn... You need that thing more than I do." 

"Thanks... again..." you muttered awkwardly, wrapping yourself up in it. 

The walk home was quiet. Neither of you wanted to talk and nothing more needed to be said. When you stepped through the door, you both greeted your worried pokemon and got ready for bed. You removed your shoes and put them in your room, still sniffling. You didn't take off the jacket, as Guzma had insisted you just keep it on. Giving it and taking it back and forth would get annoying anyway. Gengar remained by you for a majority of the night. Golsiopod did the same with Guzma. 

You opted to sleep in your bed that night, rather than argue with Guzma over who should have it. Guzma had already settled into the couch anyway. You stripped out of your pants and outer wear, settling on a shirt and underwear. You considered a moment before throwing Guzma's hoodie over you as well. You felt weird for wearing it, and even weirder for feeling more comfortable with the fact that it smelled like him. 

You got under the covers, pulling the hoodie around you and cuddling into yourself. You could smell him on you, making you blush. 

"Why are you so creepy, y/n?..." you hissed at yourself. You supposed it was from being around Gengar so much. You and your partner matched very well. 

You looked out the window by your bed at the stars, feeling a sense of calm bliss. The song you sang earlier returned to your mind. You hummed it softly as you curled up in bed, relaxing. 

You lulled yourself to sleep with the tune, until all was quiet with peaceful slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It almost happened! And then it didn't! I'm evil. They are starting to feel things though, so they're getting better. Sorry for not updating this sooner! I did have half of it written but it got deleted because I'm on mobile and automatic refresh is a thing that exists. Also, the song you sing can be anything you want, but I prefer to think of an almost hauntingly beautiful melody. "Scarborough Fair" was my first thought, but you can go with whatever you'd like!


	9. Chapter 9

You sneezed yourself awake that morning, the first sign of a huge problem. 

"Y/n!"

Guzma busted through the door of your room, not even sparing you the politeness of a knock. You considered kicking him out, but you didn't even want to move. You were buried under blankets and sniffling slightly. "Uuuugh...." you groaned. "What do you want, Guz?" You sounded more annoyed than you wanted to, but you had just woken up with a sneeze and you were in pain. 

"You're late. _Really_ late." 

You scrambled out of bed, which resulted in you toppling to the floor. You laid there, embarrassment flooding your emotions as Guzma stared at you. You forgot you were wearing practically nothing _and_ his hoodie. Guzma paused for what you thought was forever before he reached down and grabbed your wrist, pulling you up off the floor. 

"What am I gonna do with you..." He sighed, shaking his head. 

You let out a breath of air you didn't even know you were holding. At least he didn't bring the outfit up. You realized he was still holding your wrist, so you gave it a gentle tug to get him to release it. When he did, you rubbed it with a pout. 

"Oh! Sorry about that! Might've been a bit too tight..." He smiled sheepishly. 

"It's fine," you stated. 

You both froze when you heard a knock at the front door. You slammed the door to your room shut, as if it hadn't taken so much abuse already this morning. You realized that was a bad idea when Guzma was still standing inside the room. You needed to get dressed, but he was still inside of the room. You could just tell him to turn around so you could switch clothes. Considering it a moment, you dismissed the thought. Rather than changing completely, you just slipped on some sweatpants. As you walked past Guzma, you watched as his expression slowly went from neutral to shock. 

You stepped into the living room, listening to Guzma frantically whisper to you from behind the door as you walked away from it. What he was saying was incoherent, but you could have sworn you could make out some words. Unfortunately, the words you did make out were very vague and could make up a multitude of things. You ignored it. Whatever he had to say could wait until after the conversation. Making the person wait at the door for too long was suspicious.

You went up to the front door and opened it, throwing on a fake smile. It wasn't overly cheerful, but you did want to show that you at least enjoyed the company of whoever was behind the door. 

You weren't very surprised to see Kukui standing at the door. He most likely wanted to find out why you weren't at the league. You hadn't checked the time, but you were well aware that you were very late. Kukui looked down at you. He had his hands on his hips and a default smile that radiated his joy for absolutely everything. "Hey y/n!" He said. "You weren't at the league this morning so I assumed something was wrong! Are you okay, cousin? You don't look so good..." 

"I just slept in..." you faked a yawn, but it was cut off by another sneeze. You sniffled and wiped your nose. Kukui looked shocked. 

"Do you have a cold? It's not good to be outside late at night! That's when it gets freezing!" 

You hesitated, looking up at him in surprise. How did he know you were outside last night? You could have sworn he was inside his house and couldn't see you. "Wait, ho-"

"I went ouside this morning to do my daily training routine. I found this. It has your name on it." Kukui held up your ride pager. He handed it to you and moved his hand back to his hip. "What were you doing in Ten Carat Hill last night? It gets colder in a cave at night than it does outside! I was worried when you didn't show up to the league this morning. I should have known you were sick." 

"I was hunting for pokemon," you lied. "I heard that Sableye show up in there and decided to check it out." You frowned. "Didn't catch any though." 

Kukui halted, looking past you momentarily. He processed this information before his grin came back. You instantly became suspicious. There was nothing to look at in your house. 

"Of course you didn't!" Kukui chuckled after a few seconds. "It's okay if you don't encounter one! You have to search for Carbink first. Sableye prey on them." He moved his hand to grip his chin in thought, leaning over you. "I know quite a few other things that prey on others too..." His smile remained, but you could have sworn that you saw worry flash over his eyes. 

You were about to question what he meant by that when he started to laugh. "Well! Keep yourself warm then, cousin! That jacket won't do much! I'll tell everyone at the league that you're sick. Who knows? Maybe you'll receive some get well soon cards! Usually you should stay inside when your sick, but today is gonna be a hot one! Why not try sunbathing? See you later, y/n!" With that, Kukui turned and left, leaving you speechless. 

You slowly closed the door, blinking a few times. "That was certainly an odd conversation," you thought. You decided that you left Guzma in the bedroom for long enough. When you showed up to open it, he quickly got out. 

"We're in for it now," he said. 

"What do you mean?" You asked, tilting your head. "It was just Kukui telling me that I could stay home because I'm sick." You didn't think much of it, but clearly Guzma was stressing out. 

"Y/n. The jacket." He gestured at you. 

You froze. He was right. You had been wearing Guzma's coat the entire time. Kukui even mentioned it. He might have also seen Guzma's sunglasses on the table. "He didn't do anything about it..." you thought. "Maybe he just doesn't care?" You considered it a moment. You supposed Kukui was very lenient, maybe he just didn't mind. It was none of his business anyway.

"I'm sure we'll be fine. If Kukui knew about it and didn't mention it, I'm sure he's fine with it." 

"You don't know him like I did. He's a pretty weird guy." 

"Oh, I got that part already." 

"Mysterious, in a way." 

"Yup, definitely."

"Creepy-" 

"Can we stop talking about my boss now?" You laughed. "He's actually really nice! And he helped me a lot!" 

"Just wait until he gets ya!" 

You sighed and shook your head. Waving Guzma off. You sat down on the couch, Guzma sitting next to you. 

"Don't get so close to me. I'm sick." 

"Ain't gonna stop me. I think I'm immune to the cold at this point. It never stops raining in Po Town, and we didn't exactly have any heat." He shrugged, draping an arm over you. "Besides, it was my stupid idea to bring you out to a cave of all places late at night anyway. That was bound to happen. Now it's my turn to take care of your weak ass." 

You punched his side, making him snort and chuckle. He brought you a blanket, tossing it over your head. "How come you always throw things at me?" You asked, your voice muffled under the blanket. Guzma didn't answer. Instead, he ruffled your hair under the cover. You moved your head down and rested by his side, your vision completely blocked by the blanket over your head. You didn't see the blush that spread over Guzma's face as he looked down at you. 

You wondered why you were resting so comfortably against him. For some reason, you just seemed to melt into him. His arm began to curl around you, holding you against him. You could feel his hand, but you couldn't see anything. You didn't need to anyway. 

"Are you still breathing under there?" Guzma asked. 

"Mhm..." came the simple reply. 

"Alright. Just making sure you aren't dead. I think I'm gonna make you some soup later." 

"Okay... I won't let you move now though..." You meant that and he knew it. You were too comfortable and he was warm. You brought the side of your head to Guzma's chest. You could hear his heart beating faster when you moved closer, making you smile. Your cheeks heated up when you felt what you assumed was Guzma's head on top of yours. Neither of you spoke to each other. You considered bringing up your relationship with him, but you held back. Now wasn't the time for that. You needed to find a good moment. 

You hoped it would come soon.

 

~~~~

 

When Kukui showed up at the league again, he was greeted with worry by the elite. Kahili and Olivia didn't seem very bothered, Hala was more understanding, but Acerola wanted to know what happened to her friend. 

"Where is y/n?" Acerola asked, hopping over to Kukui.

"Y/n isn't going to be here," Kukui answered. "Our Champion is sick. Don't worry, though. It's just a cold." 

"Aww... I'm gonna send a card..." Acerola scuffed her foot. 

"I'll go to their house later..." Hala answered. 

Kukui cringed a bit. "Well, I guess you could. Y/n is still sick so I wouldn't recommend it. After all, we don't want two league members with a cold." 

"I suppose you're right," Hala replied, scratching his mustache.

"Yeah! I'll check on them for you." Kukui said with a smile. "You guys can just sit tight and battle, okay? I'm sure y/n will be back in a few days." 

A nod of understanding was exchanged among the group and they went their seperate ways. Kukui monitored the battles as usual, and he also did some training himself in the league. He often brought part of his lab with him to the league, just so he could study more. However, he couldn't seem to focus on his work. He kept thinking about you and what he had seen when he went to your house that morning. 

"Y/n what are you getting yourself into?..." He muttered, shaking his head. He knew, for the most part, what was going on between you and Guzma. He even knew why. He smiled to himself as he typed up documents on his laptop. You always held a fiery spirit, but you had a good heart as well. He saw the same in Guzma, at least when they were kids. He did become a bully, sure, but he was not an actual villain. As much as he was worried about you, he did accept your decision. He only hoped that nothing would turn out bad. 

"I believe in you, cousin... I hope you can fix him... No... I _know_ you can."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kukui is mysterious, but he is a good guy! I was originally going to make the person at the door be Hala, but then after thinking about it for a while I went with Kukui. Don't think too badly of him yet, he might be helpful later!


	10. Chapter 10

After sitting on the couch for half of your day, you could say you were restless. You were comfortable on the sofa, and you had Guzma to bring you anything you desired. He kept insisting on helping you, but you always declined him. You didn't need anything and you weren't dying, so you could just get up and grab something if you wanted it. You could tell Guzma was getting frustrated with your rejection, but eventually he relaxed on the floor beside you, leaning his head back to rest on the couch cushion and tipping it slightly.

With his head facing forwards, you couldn't even see him anymore. You saw a big puff of white hair. You almost wanted to reach out and feel it, but you didn't. Guzma looked calm and collected, and the faint noises coming from him suggested that he was napping. You watched him for a little while as he rested against the couch. His head was close to your legs, which were bent to the side to make room for him as you leaned against the armrest.

Guzma's hair stuck up in all directions, but you had never really seen how messy it was on top. He was so much taller than you that he basically towered over you. Before you knew it, you ran your fingers through his hair gently. You couldn't stop yourself. It was almost inviting, especially with the way that Guzma sat. You felt him involuntarily lean into the touch, noting that he wasn't fully asleep. 

His hair was surprisingly soft. White locks flowed easily between your fingers, only occasionally catching on a small knot that you had to break free from. Guzma hummed a bit. "You having fun up there?" Your cheeks turned pink when you realized you had been caught, but you knew you were going to get caught anyway so it wasn't surprising. 

"Mhm..." you purred. "It's really fluffy..." 

Guzma rolled his shoulders, yawning and settling back down. You innocently brushed his hair with your fingers, listening to the occasional almost inaudible sounds that emanated from Guzma. It nearly sounded like purring, which made you have to hold one hand over your mouth to stop from making a noise. "That's so cute..." you whisper-squealed into your hand, quiet enough that Guzma hardly noticed. 

Finally, you separated your hands from Guzma's hair, which he didn't care about too much. Guzma stood up and sat down on the couch--- something he could have done a long time ago. He sat closer to you, noting the distant expression on your face. 

"You alright there, y/n?" He asked, raising a brow at the interesting look. "Ya look like you're having some type of flashback like in the movies." 

"I'm fine..." you mumbled. "Just bored. I don't want to stay inside all day." You sneezed, pulling the blankets further over you and pouting at him. "This is your fault, by the way," you added teasingly. 

"Yeah, yeah. I know. You wanted to go there, though!" Guzma shrugged. "I dunno. Just cause you're sick doesn't mean we can't go out anywhere. As long as you're warm we're fine!" 

"Hmm..." You thought a moment, perking up as an idea crossed your mind. "How about going out for dinner tonight?" You smiled. Guzma didn't, which made yours falter. 

"You wanna go out." Guzma started. You nodded your head. "To dinner." Another nod. "With me?"

"Why are you so shocked?" You tilted your head, unknowing of that move's affect on Guzma. The simple tilt made him immediately regret acting so harsh to your proposal.

"It's just that- Look, you're the champion of this region. I'm a criminal. The boss of a bad organization." 

"I've already told you this, Guz. I hardly considered your organization as more than teen rebellion with a schedule." 

"Sure, you do. But not everyone thinks of me that same way. Sorry but I have a bad rep. How do you know I didn't just come here a few nights ago because I was running from authority?" 

"That's why you were in my yard?" 

"No."

"Why were you in my yard all scratched up then? You still haven't told me, but I've just been to nice to ask-" 

"The point is," Guzma interrupted. "If I step into public with you, what would people say? How do you think they would react? Are you sure you want to have to face that?" He seemed truly concerned, enough so that you had to step in. You gently placed your hand on his forearm. 

"Hey... I don't care..." 

He looked at you. "You damn well should." 

"But I don't. What's your reason?" You didn't think that needed explaining. It was simple enough. Guzma went quiet, fidgeting in his seat. 

"Are you sure you want to try that whole dinner thing? It's cliche as all hell." 

"Yeah. I don't mind it. Your date was fine, but I ended uo getting sick. You might need to fix your methods." 

"You thought of it as a date?"

Your eyes widened when you realized that you did in fact call it a date. Heat rose to your cheeks. "Well!" You coughed. "A date could mean anything! It's a meeting of two people! I'm not discussing that crap until later! Is it a yes or a no?" You nervously babbled, watching as Guzma was about to raise his hand and block your mouth. 

"Uhh... yeah sure. We'll head out tonight then. We can go to the Hau'oli city beach afterwards. I know how much you like the beach and the night and stuff." He shrugged. 

"That sounds nice," you replied cheerfully. You snuggled back into the blankets, enjoying the warmth that they brought you. You weren't incredibly sick. You only had a minor cold, which couldn't stop you from running around and doing things. 

You turned on the television to see what was on. There were a few movies playing, some of which you liked. You wanted to curl up with Guzma, but unfortunately your gengar popped up, sitting between you two and cuddling into you. As much as you thought Gengar was being a total block and he was doing this on purpose, he was really squishy and comfortable to rest against. You giggled and Gengar snickered when you heard Guzma mutter "dick..." under his breath. 

You pet Gengar as you all watched the movie. He wasn't really fuzzy or soft, as a ghost pokemon doesn't normally have that texture, but you liked the feeling of him anyway. He was enjoying himself just being in your company and keeping Guzma away from you. You soothed him. "Hey... He's okay. Can you let me near him?" Gengar narrowed his eyes, a mischievous grin on his face. You questioned what he must have been thinking as you leaned against his odd ghostly form. 

Gengar quickly teleported out of the way, and with no body to support you, you fell. Your head landed on Guzma's lap, creating an interesting response from the male above you. "The fuck?" 

Your face turned a deep red as you scrambled to get off of him. "Sorry! Gengar is just being a jerk. I didn't mean to do that." 

Guzma didn't reply. Instead, he slowly lowered your head so you were back down on his lap. You wondered what he was doing when you felt his hands run through your hair. Immediately, your nervous energy seemed to dissipate. Guzma brushed his fingers through your hair, giving it the same gentle care you gave him earlier. You relaxed in his lap, just allowing him to massage your scalp and untangle the simple knots in your hair. 

"There you go..." he murmured. "You're fine down there..." 

Witnessing reckless Guzma throughout your journey, you didn't think you had ever thought he was so chill. Sure, he wasn't fully understandable and collected, but he could be calm and quiet when he wanted to be. You found out plenty about him through letting him back into your life. You hardly regretted it. He still didn't answer how he got to your house and why he was on the verge of passing out, but you supposed that he would tell you when he wanted to. Guzma was as free of a spirit as you were. 

Times where you could truly be happy doing nothing were rare. You didn't find yourself able to do nothing anyway, what with your schedule and plans. You had never planned on becoming the champion, nor had you planned on being the selected one by Tapu Koko, but you supposed that fate had done it for you. _You_ were the one that did it all for you. Fate merely guided you. 

You thought everything would be over when you became champion. For the first few days, you were excited. However, as time went by, you began to realize that it was monotonous and depressing being a champion. Worst of all, your only motivation to fight was just to not let anyone down. The purpose of fighting changed for you. It was hardly a fun thing to do anymore. You tried to remember the last time you had fun while fighting. 

Oh. Right. 

The last time you fought Guzma.

You had never experienced such passion in a battle before. His determination flashed for the world to see as his one goal was clear. He wanted to bring you down. You knew it sounded cheesy and cliche to say that a battle between pokemon was passionate, so much so that you wouldn't admit it. But it was. With him, you were actually willing to fight. You just wanted to win for you, not for Kukui, or any of the kahunas, or even your friends. No one was around at the time to even see it. You just fought him because you wanted to, which is the way it should be. 

You turned to see Guzma staring at the television. He leaned his head on his hand, which was propped up by his elbow on the armrest. He seemed to notice your gaze on him and looked at you with confusion. "What?" He asked, lowering his hand from his face. You smiled at him and shrugged. If only he knew. Guzma's lips curled up and his brows furrowed as he gave you an uncertain grin. Eventually his gaze switched back to the television and yours followed suite. 

You had to tell him. 

This was one catch you couldn't fail to obtain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are beginning to perk up! I'm assuming at this point that a majority of you are reading the champion as a female, but that's just because with the little context I've slipped in, you seemed to roll with it. I'll add a new chapter on probably tomorrow, but I'm still pretty busy!


	11. Chapter 11

You spent a little while getting your outfit ready. You wanted to look good. You didn't feel compelled to, and Guzma didn't care. You just wanted to show him that you would be willing to look nice for him. It was small, but you still put effort into it. Guzma wasn't sure why you needed to get yourself ready before going out. Still, he patiently waited for you in the living room, occasionally giving you remarks to hurry up. 

"You done? How long does it take?!" He yelled from the living room, slumping across the couch. 

"Just a little while longer!" You called back, adding some finishing touches. 

"We're losing daylight!" He yelled back. 

"Don't we _want_ that to happen?" 

"Touche..." he muttered. He tried to find out what else to say when he finally heard the click of your door opening. He sat upright, looking over it at you. 

"Woah..." 

You had on your favorite outfit, compete with accesories. The colors went well with your hair and eyes, making them bright. You had even fixed your hair to your liking. The result of your pickiness was worth it, as you looked stunning. You got nervous when you noticed that Guzma hadn't taken his eyes off of you since you stepped out. A faint blush spread to your cheeks. "Are we going to go now?' 

You approached the male, who realized he was staring for too long. "Y-yeah! I've been waiting for ya!" He scoffed, trying to cover up his previous actions. He glanced to the side, only to see his gosliopod staring at him mischeviously. He narrowed his eyes at Gosliopod, switching his attention back to you. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

You threw up a pokeball, summoning your gengar. "Alright, Gengar. Watch the house for me. If anything bad happens, let me know. Please don't have to let me know. If someone comes, just let them know I'm not home. If it's Kukui, do it your own way." Gengar let out a cry and gave you a thumbs up, floating into the ground. 

You walked outside with Guzma, still feeling somewhat chilly. You were still somewhat sick, but you had medicine earlier so it was nowhere near as bad as it was that morning. Guzma watched out for you anyway. You appreciated it, but it wasn't needed. Going down the street, you decided to head out to a new restaurant in Hau'oli City. Guzma had no complaints, he was over you picking a cliche dinner.

Because it wasn't dark like the last time you had gone out with Guzma, there were still some people around. Guzma was right when he said people would view them strangely. A few acquaintances gave you odd looks and total strangers seemed disappointed in you. You stood proud beside Guzma, who was watching all of the reactions. He walked partially behind you, worried about everyone else's thoughts. You slowed down so he could catch up, a firm expression on your face.

Once Guzma was close enough, you took his hand. Quite a few passerbys looked at you with shock. Guzma's grip was tight, and you had to gently rub the top of his palm with your thumb to loosen it and calm him down. The simple touch seemed to work, he wasn't as tense as before.

"Hey... It's okay..." You whispered. He glanced down at you. You traced small patterns in his hand again. "I told you I'd be fine..." He nodded slightly, sighing.

"If you say so..." 

When you got to the restaurant, the waiter gave you a questioning stare. You stared blankly at him, causing him to nervously recollect himself. "Hello, Champion y/n. Welcome! It is an honor to have you here. Where would you like to sit?" 

You hummed. It was time to have some fun. "Hmm... I don't know. Guz, where do _you_ want to sit?" You turned to Guzma, as if silently taunting the waiter for not addressing him. Guzma was confused by your demeanour at first, but he smiled when he caught on. 

"How about a booth for me and the great champion, hm?" He tilted his head, raising his brows. You almost snickered, but instead kept a simple friendly smile. 

"Right this way!" The waiter chirped, bringing you both to a booth. 

You both sat down across from each other, catching the gazes of others from your peripheral vision. Guzma shifted in the seat, but you whispered to him. "Don't you dare start paying attention to them. This is my choice of a date and I wanted to do it with you. They hold no worthy opinion as long as it's negative." You reached your hand forwards, smiling when his rested on top of yours. 

"You're nuts." 

"I know!" You chimed. "I'm having fun here!" 

A different waiter came to your table. He reacted similar to the first waiter, almost disregarding Guzma entirely in favor of talking to you. "Hi champion! It's a pleasure seeing you here. Thank you for coming to our restaurant!" He turned to look at Guzma, putting him off for a moment. "Good day to you too... erm..." He snapped back into focus. "What can I get you both today?" 

You both ordered your meal, noticing how the waiter appeared on edge for having to serve Guzma. Neither you nor Guzma could care less. It wasn't like he was about to hurt anyone. Everyone was just overreacting and it truly did bother you. You were more disappointed in them than they were with you being friendly towards Guzma. The waiter finally left after your order was clear, leaving you to talk with Guzma.

"The sea will be very pretty tonight," you said, trying to get him to focus on you rather than his environment. 

"It always is, y/n what kind of a statement was that?" 

"Shut up," you huffed. "I'm trying to make casual conversation. You're too tense and I don't like it." 

Guzma closed his eyes and smiled. "Yeah. I'm sorry. I'll stop."

You both sat quietly. Eventually, you spoke up. It was such a random statement that even you surprised yourself with it. "Do you think a diglett has legs?" 

Guzma busted out laughing, managing to startle a family eating dinner off to the side. You giggled, knowing full well how ridiculous it was. "Really, though. This question has been around for ages. What's under it?" You took a drink. 

Guzma shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe it's a portal to another dimension! What if it just kinda goes inside of itself when it goes underground? Better than a weird little brown cucumber that just sort of writhes around." 

You both were laughing now. You nearly spit out your drink. "And when it evolves it just finds friends! Like a little squad. Are they fused together or just really close?" You both continued the conversation happily, giving ideas back and forth and laughing as you ate dinner. You could hardly believe the fun you were having. 

The night was only just beginning. 

 

~~~~

 

Heading down to the beach was more calming, considering you didn't have to go past or talk to nearly as many people as you did going to the restaurant. You kept a brisk pace, just knowing that Guzma was following behind you. He was surprised by how eager you were to go to the beach, but he didn't know what you were _really_ excited for. 

"Hurry up!~" You sang, racing down the ramp towards the beach and stopping once your feet hit the soft sand. Just as you had pictured it, the moon hung above the water, casting shadows on most of the beach. The waves gently met the shore, parting ways momentarily and then coming back again. You could smell the fresh sea air and hear the sand crunch beneath your feet and Guzma's. As you turned around, you listened to the sound of his footsteps. 

"You ran off without me," he said, placing his hands on his hips. "Why do you want to go here so bad? It's a beach." 

"Guzma, it's beautiful! Look out there!" You gestured to the sky and the ocean. "I can see out for miles but there is still so much mystery..." you sighed contentedly, brushing some sand off of you. You tipped your head to the side, silently enjoying the scene. 

"You're weird," Guzma mumbled, a blush spreading on his cheeks as he watched you. 

"Mhm. I've learned to accept that." You bit the inside of your cheek, wondering if now was the time to tell him. Your gaze shifted to your sand covered shoes, then back to Guzma. You huffed, realizing that it was now or never. 

You tugged on Guzma's sleeve, trying to get him to look down at you and get to your level. "Huh? What do you want?" 

"Come here." You gestured with your finger for him to get closer. 

Guzma leaned in, expecting you to whisper him something. He thought it was dumb, considering there was no one else on the beach. You tugged on his shirt collar when he still wasn't close enough. Before he could say anything, you made your move. 

The second your lips touched his, it was like there were sparks. You felt warm and fuzzy, draping your arms over the back of his neck. He didn't move away. Instead, he leaned closer. You eventually broke away, opening your eyes to see his reaction. Both of your faces were red, and he leaned back up again. 

You almost wanted to cry when he moved away. He didn't say anything, so you were worried. Not getting a response was an immediate red flag for you. You frowned, wondering why he turned around. 

"G-Guzm-" 

The male had grabbed you, locking his lips with yours yet again. With him controlling it, the kiss was now much more passionate and direct. You could swear you almost cried out with joy. His arms were wrapped tight around you, holding you close to him. You both only broke away because you needed air. Guzma sat down in the sand, pressing your back up against his chest and resting his head on top of yours.

"I love you..." you said quietly, a small smile forming on your lips. "I'm not tired this time." 

"Good. I love you too, y/n. Sorry for being too stubborn of an asshole to admit it." 

"No worries. I was kind of playing the same game..." You enjoyed how warm Guzma was. Being wrapped up in him was better than you had ever imagined. You didn't want to leave the beach, and you didn't have to either. You could go whenever you wanted to. Guzma gave you choices you didn't know what to do with. You were comfortable around him. You had never felt so free with no goal in mind. 

Guzma nuzzled your hair affectionately. You leaned back against him, both of you admiring the beach as the moon hung low over the water. 

You managed to catch a wild Guzma, and neither of you wanted to let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter you have all been waiting for since the beginning! It was hell trying to figure out how to write a "vague but very attractive" outfit for the reader. Trying to conclude chapters is harder than it looks. I saw the chance for a pun from the last chapter and took it. Thank god for my accidental foreshadowing powers.


	12. Chapter 12

Waking up in this morning was so much better than any other morning. You were warm and comfortable. You almost didn't want to get up despite being so refreshed. The arm draped over you helped you realize just why you slept so well. You could hear the faint sounds of Guzma's snoring behind you. Your back was pressed to his chest and his nose was buried in your hair, making you smile. 

You checked the time, noticing that you still had time to get ready for the league. You also noticed that you would have to escape the grasp of Guzma in order to get out of bed. You wouldn't be able to do that without waking him up unless he was as heavy of a sleeper as a snorlax. Still, you'd give it your best shot. 

You twisted your body around slowly until you were face to face with the white haired male. You loved how his hair flowed over his face without the help of his sunglasses to keep it back. His breathing was calming, and you watched his chest slowly rise and fall. You stared at him for a little while, almost forgetting that you needed to go somewhere. 

And that he was awake. 

"If you gotta go somewhere, go on ahead..." Guzma mumbled, moving his arm so you could get up. When you went to move, he quickly grabbed you and flipped you over him until you were on his other side. You let out a cry of shock, but chuckled when he brought you closer to him. Now you were both chest to chest. "Psych!" He chimed. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Guz. I gotta go to the league. I'm the Champion, remember?" 

"Well, oh great Champion. You were keeping me warm." 

"I gotta gooo..." You whined. 

"When you stop being cute, I'll let you go." Guzma grinned. 

"I'm not doing anything!" You squinted at him. 

"Guess I'll just never release you then." He shrugged. He nuzzled you, making you giggle. "Mm. Can't believe I'm actually here with you like this... The Champion of Alola with big bad Guzma." 

You pecked him on the cheek. "I think that the big bad Guzma could still do some good. Who knew you were so cuddly and affectionate?" 

"Hey, I'm fuckin' hardcore. Don't forget that."

You rolled your eyes. "Yeah you are. Can you please let me go now?" 

"No." 

"Alright. You have left me with no choice." You began to squirm in Guzma's grip, shaking him up. You puffed your cheeks out at him, moving around as much as possible until he finally released you. "Haha! Victory!" 

You hopped off the bed, standing proud. Guzma childishly stuck his tongue out at you, which you returned. "Alright you big lump. I'm heading out. When we get home we can do something together." You paused, trying to think of something to do. "Erm... It's your choice tonight." 

"I know something we could do~..." He purred. 

"Not that!" Your cheeks flushed pink as you snapped at him. You quietly added, just enough for him to barely hear. "Not yet. We just started this..." 

"You mean I still got a chance?" He perked up, his eyes wide as he smiled up at you. 

"Shush," you replied, scoffing at his laughter. "You perv..." 

"I'm not a perv. I wouldn't do anything you wouldn't want me to, doll." 

You looked down at the name he gave you, watching his interest peak. He didn't continue, just spoke in general. "I think I'm gonna go out and do some training today. Maybe catch a few bugs and let em go. I ain't a couch lump."

You nodded. "Sounds like fun. You enjoy yourself with that." You went to your dresser and picked out a bunch of clothing. "Talk to you later, Guz." You exited your bedroom and went into the bathroom, changing into your outfit for the day. Once you were done, you went to the front door and opened it. 

The second you stepped out, your immediate response was to summon up a charizard to take you to the league. The fire type pokemon swept you up and brought you to your destination. The wind on your face helped wake you up, and you knew you were at least going to get there on time. You were surprised by how fast it was and grateful for the sharp speed of the pokemon, awarding the charizard with a pokebean before sending it on its way. You scrambled up the steps to the league, listening to the pokemon take off behind you. 

Once you entered, you were greeted by a few of the elites. Acerola rushed towards you, obviously very happy to see you. "Hi y/n! Are you okay now? I heard that you had a cold!" She swayed side to side, looking up at you with a smile. 

"I'm fine! It was only a cave, after all. It's not like that'll kill me. I'm big and strong, remember?" 

"You aren't that big." 

"Hey..." You pouted. "Alright. Are you ready to start battling?" 

"Just about!" Acerola chirped, brushing off her dress. "We're still waiting for Hala. As soon as he is here we can begin. Kukui is in the waiting room. He told me that he wanted to talk to you. He also said there aren't many trainers today so we might get to go home early!" 

"Great..." you thought. Kukui told you that last time and you ended up getting home at night. You supposed it wasn't necessarily his fault. Kukui couldn't predict the duration of a battle. "If you say so, Ace. I'm gonna go talk to Kukui. Hopefully we can open the doors soon. See you later!" You waved goodbye to Acerola, watching her skip away to her battle room. 

"Kukui wanted to talk to me?" You thought. You had a feeling you knew what it was about, and you probably weren't going to like it. You decided that whether you wanted to or not, you were going to have to talk to him.

You entered the break room and found Kukui sitting at a table, typing information into a laptop. When he saw you, he joyfully greeted you. 

"Alola, y/n!" He said. "You're later than usual! What happened?"

"I got a bit tangled up." You replied. It wasn't wrong, but you still had to hide the blush that threatened to creep to your face. Kukui raised a brow. 

"In who?" Kukui smirked when he noticed you tense up.

"I know you know..." You muttered, looking down. 

"Of course I do. As long as he's nice to you it is none of my business. You do know what that means, though, right?"

"I just don't like how people treat him. I was walking with him yesterday and it was like people's lives were on the line. It was disappointing, to say the least." 

"Well, he is a criminal." Kukui shrugged, shutting his laptop. "I was worried about you too, but I know how he is." Kukui sighed. "I've known Guzma for a long time and I'm sure he would _never_ intentionally hurt you. He's just a very angry and determined person." He smiled slightly. "You're pretty determined too, y/n. I hope you can fix him, he really needs saving..." He gave you a thumbs up. "I trust you." 

"Fix him?" You thought. You didn't answer, simply nodding your head. 

"Good! I won't keep you for very long. I just wanted to let you know that you have to fight four trainers today. Four battles." He held up four fingers, making you roll your eyes. Professor Kukui seemed to be obsessed with the number four. That must have been his favorite number or something. He was always incredibly dramatic when he said four. 

"Alright. Thanks Kukui. I'll remember that." 

You parted ways, heading towards the champion room. You had to be elevated up there. The room was massive and spaced out. A dome capped off the room and the pokemon league, and the floor that you stood on glowed a bright greenish blue hue. You made yourself comfortable in the champion throne. You let out all of your pokemon, making sure they were all well fed and cared for. You allowed them to play around seeing as no one would enter your demain for a while. They knew to stand or sit obediently when a challenger entered. You had to keep things professional. The last time you got caught fooling around with your pokemon _was definitely the last time._ You nearly died of embarrassment that day. 

You checked the time, sighing to yourself. You could only wonder what Guzma was up to. He did say that he was going to be training and catching today. He already seemed happy with his team, and didn't have a need for catching and releasing. You pet your gengar as you pictured in your head what that meant. 

 

~~~~

 

Guzma ducked behind some shrubs, his Gosliopod by his side. "Shh..." he whispered to his partner, who nodded. They both gazed at a beedrill resting off in the distance. Guzma had a leaf on his head and Gosliopod had attempted to copy him. Guzma quietly tossed a few pokebeans out in front of the bush, capturing the attention of the bug pokemon. The beedrill began to feast on the pokebeans, failing to notice the trainer and his partner. 

Guzma jumped out at the beedrill once he thought the time was right to strike. His prey hadn't expected him, which was perfect. Gosliopod followed after, triggering a battle. Having taken the pokemon by surprise, the beedrill was easily taken down and caught. Guzma summoned it back, the pokemon now calmer. He soothed it down and gave it affection, gaining the pokemon's trust. He smiled down at it. 

"Don't worry bud, I'm not gonna keep ya. Just gotta document you." 

Guzma fished through his pocket, pulling out your Rotom Dex. It struggled against him. "Where's y/n? Why did you take me you bully!?" 

"I'm helping her fill you up. She doesn't have the time to do it. If anything, you should be thanking me." 

Rotom huffed, crossing its arms. 

"Does that mean you'll work with me?" Guzma asked. The dex turned away. It stayed there for a while before finally sighing. 

"Fine..." 

"Thanks little fella. Mind scanning my bug over here for ya?" Guzma gestured to beedrill, who was hovering patiently behind Guzma. Rotom did as asked, scanning the beedrill and entering its information into the dex. Once he was done, Guzma released the beedrill, sending it off on its merry way. Rotom still looked mad at him. "I can't believe you kidnapped me! Zzt! I'm gonna tell y/n!"

Guzma looked to the side sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. He knew the dex wasn't too fond of him, and this certainly didn't help. "Yeah, sorry. I just wanted to help her. Go ahead, I'm sure she'll scold my ear off for ya. Just please do this for now, okay?" 

Rotom glared at him. "I'm doing this for y/n." 

Guzma nodded and Rotom floated beside him. "Next up, venipede." He tossed an empty pokeball and caught it, smiling in victory. 

Guzma took a few steps to get out of the tall grass, but he heard a tree beside him shake. Guzma's eyes widened. He slowly turned his head, only to get attacked by a fearow. 

"Oh no..." 

Guzma and flying type pokemon did not mix. Guzma grabbed the Rotom dex and fled as fast as his legs could carry him, Gosliopod trailing behind. "SHOO BIRD! SHOO BIRD! SHOO!"

He got away safely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Officially decided to make reader a girl.


	13. Chapter 13

You had to admit, you were a little on edge when you returned home that day to an empty house. 

"Guzma?" You called, just to make sure he wasn't hogging your bedroom. Even if you hadn't caught him doing it yet, you could swear he was going in your room when you weren't home. You had no idea what he was doing in there, but your best guess would be sleeping considering your bed was usually somewhat messy when you got back. You honestly didn't mind him sleeping in your bed. Until last night his actual presence was replaced with scent from his hoodie or the faint sense that he had been there. 

You wandered into the house, realizing that it was almost too quiet. Your gengar was in his ball, so he couldn't bother you with pranks. The house merely felt empty. You could relax without Guzma, or at least attempt to. You managed to get by without him before, so it wasn't like you thrived for him. 

"I wonder where he could have possibly gone?..." you asked yourself. It was still daylight, and you heard the saves crashing outside. You hummed to yourself before going and picking out your bathing suit. It couldn't hurt to take a dip in the water. 

You hopped off the back porch and went towards the water. You released your gengar and ledian, deciding to try and teach your ledian how to swim. He was getting better, and you were so proud of his improvements. You held Ledian up while he paddled along, getting the hang of moving all of his arms. He copied your movements, smiling and cheering when he did things right. You pet him occasionally, helping him when he didn't know what to do and praising him when he swam correctly. 

Gengar mostly wandered around on the beach. He sometimes liked to sit on the sand and just gaze out at the water. You swore he could stay there for hours if he wanted to. Gengar picked up rocks and seashells, using them to decorate the beach. You and Ledian moved over towards him, deciding to help out. You began to create a sand castle structure, watching your pokemon gather materials and add natural glamour to the sides. 

You heard the front door to your house open, assuming Guzma had returned. You went back to decorating. You had left the back door open, so hopefully he'd be able to figure out where you were. 

"Y/n?" He popped his head out from the back door, watching you build a sand castle with your pokemon. You didn't seem to notice that he was there watching you. Your attention was on the small happy structure and your pokemon. He smiled and disappeared behind the door, emerging a few minutes later with his own bathing suit. 

He walked down to the beach towards you, his gosliopod following cheerfully behind him. You turned to look up at him, your eyes widening at the sight. 

You didn't expect Guzma to come back so beaten up. His hair was tinted from dirt and it had leaves and twigs in it. His face had small patches of mud on it and some of his body had scrapes and scratches. Overall, he looked like a mess. You could only imagine what he had been doing all day. 

"I can't tell what the look of shock is for. Am I freaking you out or attractive?" Guzma placed his hands on his hips, bending over you with a raised brow. 

"What happened to you?" You didn't want to be so blunt and forwards with it, but he was fairly roughed up by something. 

"Ran into a few bird pokemon... I hate birds..." He smiled sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders. 

"I'd expect that, honestly. You do favor your bugs." You turned back to building up the sand castle. "You have to take a shower, though. You have sticks in your hair."

"I'll get em out later." He waved you off. "Oh yeah," he added. He dug through his pocket and pulled out your Rotom Dex. "You're welcome." 

You wanted to be upset with him for taking it, but today was probably the quietest day you've had since coming to Alola. You guessed you really did have him to thank for that. You wouldn't say it out loud, but you were glad he took it. "Thanks." You weren't even going to ask how he got it. Rotom was ticked off, crossing his arms. 

"This brute kidnapped me! Y/n! You have new pokedex entries! _He_ caught them for you. Don't let him do that again. Zzt..." 

"Why not?" You asked. "I'm a bit busy to fill you up, Rotom. Besides, I don't have nearly as many bug types documented in you as I'd like. Maybe you two can work together." You shrugged, smirking at the shocked expression of the Rotom Dex and Guzma's giddy expression in the background. Rotom looked back and forth between you two before letting out a huff. Rotom floated away from the beach and into the house, shutting the door behind him. You turned to Guzma. "So... Why did you have him?" 

"I needed something to do, and I wanted to help ya." He scuffed his foot in the sand. You smiled and nodded, turning back to the sandcastle. He admired the structure you made, examining it carefully. "The build is okay and the decoration is good, but it's lonely there." Guzma clicked his tongue. "You're gonna need more of em." 

"Since when were you the sand castle master?" You said sarcastically. 

"I've lived on an island my whole life. I should know more than you do." 

You felt a spark inside of you. That sounded like fighting words. "Is that a challenge I hear?" You chirped. 

Guzma smirked. "Maybe... Depends, are you up to take me on?" 

"Hell yeah!" 

"Then let's do this!" 

You both might have had a small problem with competing. You certainly didn't become champion by giving up or not battling whenever you had the chance. You supposed that competition grew on you, and your fiery spirit got you far. 

Similar to now. 

By the time the sun had set, there were practically two small cities of sand. Guzma and Gosliopod had taken up one side of the beach while you, Gengar, and Ledian used the other. You had dug up a good portion of the beach scouring for seashells and sea glass to add on to the sculptures. Beach buildings of various sizes spread out over your property, covering the once barren shore with stories and memories. Guzma had helped you put a river in your city and in turn you showed him how the most delicate touch can make all the difference while adding objects to the sand castles. 

The end result was beautiful. 

Ledian had sprinkled dust over the cities, which glowed in the bright moonlight and added light to the miniature metropolitan areas. You sat beside Guzma as you both just silently stared at the final product. It didn't matter who won. It seemed like a draw to you. For once, you didn't actually mind losing. Your reputation wasn't on the line, you didn't have to worry about anyone's opinion or let anyone down, and the one person sitting next to you could care less if you messed something up. 

You leaned on Guzma, only to perk up when he stood. You questioned what he was doing. He stood silently for a moment before crossing his arms. 

"Alright! Great job! Now who wants to take the first step in destroying this thing?" 

"What!?" You shrieked. 

Guzma laughed. "You honestly expected to make a massive sand city and _not_ crush it later?" 

He had a point. Whether you liked it or not the sand castles wouldn't remain forever. If you didn't break them nature would take its toll anyway. Besides, the way he put it made it sound like fun. The pokemon looked thrilled. 

"Here comes destruction in human form!" Guzma stomped down on one of the sand castles, beginning an absolute frenzy. Your pokemon rushed over to the sandcastles and began kicking and punching them crazily. Guzma and his gosliopod pretended to roam the busy streets of the sand city, stomping on buildings and little people like a massive movie monster. You sat there and stared in surprise at the sight before you until you saw a hand in front of you. 

Guzma looked down at you, offering his hand to pull you up with a big grin. "C'mon. You gotta get in on this too." 

You looked down at his hand. A smile spread over your face and you nodded, pulling yourself up beside him and kicking a castle down. You had no idea why that felt so good. You had worked so hard to make the sand castles perfect and in the end it didn't even matter. You kicked a few other castles down, laughing as you and Guzma practically danced on the now destroyed artwork. Your heart was pounding in your chest and you couldn't stop smiling. 

You supposed that you didn't care about the ruined castles because it wasn't important to fret over. Even if the castle was beautiful, it was just sand and shells put together to create something new. If it broke it wouldn't matter anyway because there was always plenty of sand on a beach. If your pokemon could be fine with working so hard to create something incredible and stomping on it afterwards then why shouldn't you be? 

Your gengar pushed Guzma over, making him fall on top of you. Both of you crashed down onto the sand castles in a heap of laughter. He looked down at you, seeing you stare back. Neither of you moved for what seemed like forever. Finally, you leaned up and pecked him on the nose. "You know you're amazing, right?" 

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be anything close to that." He looked away, his cheeks flushing. "I really do appreciate you, y/n... and uh..." 

"You can just say you love me, you know." You rolled your eyes.

He tilted his head, leaning down to kiss you. Your heart fluttered when you felt one of his hands trail over your side. He knew exactly what he was doing. When he pulled away, he tilted his head. "Do I need to?" 

"It's nice to hear it..." you muttered. 

"Okay. I love you," he purred, pressing a kiss to your cheek. 

"I love you too..." you mewled back. 

"Alright, can we ditch this cheesy romance crap?" 

"Yes sir." You said, waving him off sarcastically. 

"That's new. I like it!" He flashed you a grin. 

You placed your hand on his face, listening to him snicker from behind your palm. Both he and Gengar seemed to want to embarrass you until you turned red that night, which would most likely happen soon. Gengar was rolling around on the beach, laughing himself to life and slapping his hand on the sand. He was the reason Guzma was on top of you right now, and he understood exactly what he was doing to you. 

Guzma got off of you and went back to crushing castles. You helped him out with the rest of them, dancing on top of the structures and beating them down into small sand piles. The uproar of you and your pokemon might have even angered a few neighbors. It was incredibly late by the time you decided to head back inside. Both of you were worn out from creation and destruction, but you were both satisfied. You couldn't remember the last time you felt satisfied before being around Guzma. You began to question if Guzma was changing you. You shook your head. 

Guzma wasn't changing you. 

You were both saving each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a small little chapter about you both destroying sand castles. I'll probably edit this later when I have time.


	14. Chapter 14

Going to the league the next day, your face showed nothing but determination. Whatever came for you, you were ready to conquer it. Your pokemon seemed to absorb the endless energy you had and acted accordingly, following your every command flawlessly and taking down opponent after opponent. Kukui appeared impressed with you for all of your fighting that day. By the time the afternoon rolled around, he came upstairs to the champion room to speak to you. 

"Wow, cuz! You're on fire today! What's the big occasion?" 

"What do you mean?" You turned to look at him, wiping the sweat that coated your brow from the last battle you had fought. You had hardly noticed your change in behavior and spirit. You acted as if you had possessed it the entire time.

"You're killing it out there! I'm amazed!" He patted you on the back, laughing joyfully. You were still confused by what he meant, but you wouldn't continue to state it out loud. Kukui continued speaking anyway. "I was thinking about throwing you a party." You perked up upon hearing this information, tilting your head up at the professor. "You see, I've been keeping track of all the trainers you've battled. Your hundredth one will be today!" 

"Really? I've battled that many trainers?" You asked aloud. 

"Yep! You've been here for a couple months, y/n! You don't have to, but you've shown up here just about every day," Kukui mentioned. "Alola's first champ is still kicking and beating everyone to defend her title! You should be in awe at yourself! I think it deserves a celebration. I think I'm going to arrange it for this weekend. You don't have any plans, do you?" 

You thought to yourself. A party _did_ sound like fun. You didn't have anything to do either. Though, as good as it sounded, you did have something on your mind that you couldn't shake. Kukui noticed your expression change, raising a brow.

"What's wrong? Is it about-" 

"Can Guzma come too?" You asked, frowning up at Kukui as you interrupted him. 

Kukui stared blankly at you, cringing a bit. He wasn't positive how you would make him show up but he couldn't tell you. Eventually, his smile returned. "Yeah!" He chirped. "Everyone can come. You can tell him that he's invited as well." Kukui placed his hands on his hips and nodded his head, grinning from ear to ear. "This will be fun for everyone! A nice celebration to show all that you have accomplished as Alola's first champion!" 

Your smile returned, but it wasn't sincere. You were worried about how Guzma would react. You didn't expect him to agree with you immediately about coming to the party. You would most likely have to talk to him and get him to agree. Still, you would give it a shot and see what would happen. 

"No time for breaks now! You have three more challengers! You've got to earn your party by just beating one of them!" Kukui gave you a thumbs up. "Don't let me down, okay? You're doing great!" He walked to the stairs, descending and leaving you to your own devices. 

You glanced at your pokemon, who were sitting off to the side. "What do you say guys? Wanna party?" 

The numerous happy cries from your pokemon confirmed their excitement. You chuckled to yourself as you listened to them. You supposed you would just have to explain what was going on to Guzma. 

You had no time to focus on that when you heard a challenger approaching. You got up from your throne, waiting to greet the trainer. You couldn't lose this battle now. 

You finally had a motive. 

 

~~~~

 

After defeating all of the trainers that day, Kukui finally let you go. He gave you information on the party and congratulated you on your hard work at the league. He told you that he would send out invites to as many people as he could, including the captains and kahunas. 

"This will be a big event, y/n! It'll be in Iki Town this Saturday night, okay? All your friends are going to be delighted to hear about your accomplishments!"

Kukui's voice echoed in your head as you rode Charizard home. You didn't know what to think of the party, nor how to break the news to Guzma. There was a huge chance that he just wouldn't go, and you wouldn't blame him for it or make him go. You would accept his decision and move on. 

That was, if he decided not to go. 

You hopped off the Charizard as soon as you arrived on Melemele Island. You walked down the street until you arrived at your house. You opened the door and looked around. 

"Guzma, you here?" You closed the door behind you. You heard some noise coming from your bedroom, making you raise a brow. You quietly made your way over to the door, turning the knob until you heard the small click and pushing it open. From the doorway, you viewed a sight that made you smile. 

Guzma was snoozing calmly in your bed. His lips were slightly parted as he breathed softly, clutching your pillow close to his chest. The blankets weren't fully covering him, and you could see he wasn't wearing anything on his upper half. You blushed, trying not to think about his lower half. His hair was a mess, and there was some sand and mud in it, making you wonder what he did that day before coming home. You could only assume he filled up more pokedex entries for you. 

You gently tapped your knuckles against the door, trying to wake him up. "Hey... Guzma..." You muttered to him, trying to ease him awake rather than startle him. "You gonna wake up?..." You tilted your head. Guzma let out a big yawn, suggesting that he was awake. He sniffed once before shifting in bed and moving his hair out of his face. 

"Hm... You gonna come here?" He smirked, albeit sleepily. You shook your head. "I still have to do stuff today. Wanna come with me?" 

Guzma rolled his shoulders, pushing himself up in bed to stretch somewhat. "I wish you'd take a shower before climbing in there." You commented, scrunching your nose. "What kind of things did you hunt for today?" 

"Trainers, mostly." Guzma huffed. "I couldn't find ya a whole lot of bugs." 

"It's fine. I appreciate the little things you do for me." 

Guzma looked to the side. "Yeah. About that." He leaned over your bed and reached into his hoodie pocket, fishing for something. You questioned what he was looking for when he pulled it up. "Hold out your hands and close your eyes." 

You walked over to the bed, doing as you were told. You felt something enter your palms as Guzma moved his hand away. 

"Alright. Go ahead and look." 

You opened your eyes and pursed your lips. There was a small bag in your hands. You looked at him with confusion. Squishing the bag slightly, it felt like a very soft sand was inside. You didn't want to feel like you didn't appreciate it, so you smiled. 

"I know you're confused so you don't gotta pretend. This stuff is silver powder. That Ledian you got can have its powers boosted an awful lot with the help of that bag. Bug-type moves are very effective with it." 

You perked up. That did sound beneficial. "Thanks Guz!" You put the item in your bag and turned back to face him. He was getting out of bed, stretching his back. Fortunately, he was still wearing a pair of black boxers, but that was basically it. Your cheeks flushed and you bit your lip. 

"Something up?" Guzma asked. You crossed your arms, leaning against the door. 

"Well... yeah." You answered. "I have some news." 

"You don't look too happy. Am I gonna like it?" He squinted slightly, trying to read you. 

"I don't know how you'll react, honestly. I'll accept your decision either way, though." 

"You're making me worried here. C'mon, don't leave me in the dark..." He looked concerned, something you certainly did not want. You knew he was probably thinking irrationally, so you would have to say something before he started to lose himself. 

"Okay! There is this huge party that Kukui wants to throw for me on Saturday for beating a hundred challengers and I wanted you to come with me as my special guest!" You blabbered out loud, tensing up a bit. "I didn't know what you would say because I knew you didn't want to be seen with me and ruin my reputation and all of that but I really don't care about it because I love you and no one can make me change my mind!" 

"Woah woah woah!" Guzma held his hands up. "Calm down there." You could tell he felt guilty for jumping to conclusions in his head. Truthfully, you were sad that he legitimately thought your life would be ruined if you were seen with him. 

"I wanted to know if you wanted to go... The idea was just kind of thrown at me too, you know." You clasped your hands together, twiddling your thumbs. He went quiet for a while, and you already saw him declining your offer. Why would he go anyway? People didn't like him because of their past with him and you doubted they would be thrilled to see him at a party celebrating you. 

You didn't realize you were staring at him with a face that he couldn't say no to. He looked as if he couldn't win against the urge to nod his head just to make you happy again. Sure, he wasn't ecstatic about the idea of going, but he didn't want you do be there without him either. His hands dropped to his sides. 

"Alright... I'll go... Woah!" 

You threw your arms around Guzma, practically tackling him. You buried your face in his chest, feeling it move as he laughed softly above you. You nuzzled him, pulling away soon after. "You won't regret it!" You said. 

"Already do," he admitted with a shrug. 

"If anyone says anything about you they'll have the Champion of Alola to deal with." You gave him a resolute smile. He could feel the sheer determination in your gaze. 

"If you say so," came the same toned reply. He couldn't help it. He was nervous. You were going to have to fix that. You decided to change the subject. 

"Mind getting dressed now? It's my turn to pick what we do tonight."

"You have a plan?" Guzma smirked.

"Hmmm...." You crossed your arms. "How about malasadas?" 

Guzma snickered, putting you off for a second. You weren't too fond of going to the malasada shops during your journey, but Hau seemed to be obsessed over them for something, so they must have been good. You had most likely sounded like Hau for a moment there, flushing in embarrassment. When Guzma was done laughing at you, his answer legitimately surprised you. He placed his hands on his hips and gave you a big grin. 

"Sure! Let's go!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh! A party! I wonder how this will go?


	15. Chapter 15

The day of the party that both you and Guzma dreaded had come before you had even realized. 

Saturday was one of your days off, so you had plenty of time to prepare for it. You weren't given an exact time by Kukui for when to arrive, but he told you that it would be at night so you'd just show up at sunset. 

The party being at night certainly helped when you didn't want to get out of bed in the morning. You had slept in again, huddled under the blankets with Guzma at your side. You were lying and facing away from him while he wrapped his arms around you. You could feel his breath in your hair and his leg pushed between yours, which meant your ass was most likely pressed to his crotch. Just making contact with him soothed you in a way you couldn't explain. Sleeping in the same bed as him gave you a pleasant feeling. You wanted to turn around and see him in his dormant state, but you didn't want to wake him up. 

"Y/n..." he mumbled into your hair. "I don't know why you just lie around and do nothing like a poke doll, but I can totally tell when you're awake..." 

"Shit," you thought. You should have known that he would realize. You weren't very subtle and he seemed to sense when you were conscious. You buried yourself further under the blankets, shuffling and shifting in the bed. Guzma gave you a lopsided grin, trying to figure out what you were doing. 

"What are you trying to accomplish?" He raised his arm off of you so it was easier to move. You turned and faced him, poking his nose. 

"C'mon we gotta get up." 

Guzma's arms immediately went around you again. "Nuh uh. You aren't pullin' that on me a second time. We don't have to be anywhere for a while." 

You opened your mouth to protest, but quickly shut it and nodded your head. He was right and you weren't going to deny that he was comfortable. You pushed yourself further into him and allowed him to cuddle you again. Your cheeks flushed when you felt his leg move up between your inner thighs again. "G-Guz..." You choked. 

"Huh? Oh! Sorry!..." He brought his leg back down. You felt guilty that he couldn't fully stretch out, but he was simply way too tall for the bed. "Heh..." he chuckled awkwardly, giving you a sheepish smile when you forgave him. You pecked him on the cheek and nuzzled into his neck, making his face heat up. "Cute.." 

You playfully punched his stomach before snuggling into him. You felt his chest move as he held back a laugh. Ever since bringing him in, you saw how his attitude changed. When he forced you to battle him as the leader of Team Skull, he always appeared frustrated with himself. He never seemed to be satisfied or calm. Now, he was smiling more often and he actually enjoyed your company. Though, you secretly knew that he liked you around before disbanding Team Skull. He _did_ steal a pokemon just to get you to visit him in Po Town and battle him. It was wrong of him to do, but your guilty conscience got ahead of you when you realized that you might not have gone there if he didn't do that. 

You wanted to just lay back and do nothing all day. It sounded like a great idea, what with all the work you put in this week towards the pokemon league and the party happening at night. It was already fairly late in the day and here you were, enveloped in the massive ex-villain that was Guzma. You were definitely relaxed, it looked like nothing would get you up for hours. 

And then your stomach growled. 

Guzma perked his head up when he heard it. "Is that why you wanted to get out of bed?" You flushed with embarrassment, rolling your eyes at Guzma. The male beside you got out of bed, making you whine. You moment of respite was quickly destroyed when Guzma grabbed you and threw you over his shoulder. 

"Eep! Hey!" You hammered your fists gently against Guzma's back, slumping down soon after. You assumed Guzma liked to be used as a form of transportation, or he liked making you struggle in his grasp. You wouldn't give in. He was taking you from one place to another so you didn't have to walk. 

Once you were both in the living room, Guzma dumped you on the couch. "You sit tight, Imma make you some food." You glared up at him, your cheeks puffing out. He smirked and wandered into the kitchen. You listened as he fished through your fridge and your cupboards, the sound of pots and pans clacking together coming to your attention. Was he going to try and cook something? 

"Guzma? What are you doing?" You spun yourself around so you your head was on the side of the couch that faced the kitchen. You peeked over the armrest, watching Guzma get to work. He was cooking scrambled eggs, from what you could tell. You admired him from afar as he focused on what he was doing. His lips were pressed into a tight line and his eyes never left the bowl containing the eggs as he whisked them together. 

He looked up at you once, making you duck down from the armrest quickly. "Caught you," he commented with a smile. You let out a huff, resting your head against a throw pillow and holding another pillow to your chest. You couldn't fall asleep again, so instead you just layed there and contemplated what you were going to do before the party. You checked the time, realizing that it was almost noon. Only Guzma could make you sleep in that late. The sun was harsh, so it definitely was nearing the afternoon. You didn't mind staying in until the party. It would take you some time to get ready for it anyway and you had nowhere to be. 

You could smell the cooking eggs from the living room. You almost got up just because of that alone. However, a scream from the kitchen made you nearly fall off of the couch. 

You scrambled to get up, panick and confusion rising in you and making you wonder just what made Guzma shriek like that. 

"Y/n! Get your pokemon!" 

You started laughing. Now you knew why. You looked to the kitchen to find Guzma holding the door to the refrigerator open. On the inside, there was your mischievous ghost pokemon. Gengar was snickering at Guzma. He must have squished into it or morphed himself to fit over the food items because he took up the entirety of the fridge. Guzma walked back over to the pot of eggs, leaving the fridge door open so your pokemon could have his fun. 

You strolled over to the bar, sitting up on a stool and looking at Guzma's back as he frustratingly cooked. "Gengar. Get out of the fridge," you called. The pokemon obeyed, floating out of the appliance. You paused a minute, examining he fridge, before you rolled your eyes. "You too, Rotom." 

The second ghost came flying out of the refrigerator, buzzing at you with a mixture of shame and distaste. "Aww.... zzt... But why?" 

"You're not going to get revenge on him that way," you chimed. Rotom frowned, slumping down and looking st the floor. "I can do it for you." 

"Really!?" Both Guzma and Rotom cried out in unison, Guzma in shock and Rotom in joy. You nodded at both of them, petting your gengar on the head as he purred under you. 

"Of course I will!" You said cheerfully. "You gotta get back in the Dex, though." You turned to Rotom, who gave you a curt nod before rushing off to get back into the pokedex. You looked back at Guzma, who was setting a plate of eggs on the bar for you. You didn't realize how hungry you were until your stomach groaned at the sight of the meal before you. 

You and Guzma ate quietly. You were surprised at how Guzma didn't give any comments or snide remarks to the conversation with Rotom. Glancing over to him, you could tell he was deep in thought. You rested your head on your hand, tilting your head at Guzma. 

"Are you still thinking about going with me to the party?"

Guzma blinked, snapping out of his thoughts to look at you. He sighed. "I know I said I would go and all... I still am coming with you... It's just..."

"I know why you're worried. I get it. You think that people won't accept you. You shouldn't care." 

"But I do. Y/n, your reputation is at stake." 

"Nothing is at stake for me. So what if people don't like my decision? It isn't their decision to make. Who is going to question the champion? If they hate you they can hate in silence." 

"You told me this before." 

"Mhm! And I'm gonna keep hammering it into your brain until you realize that. I love you, Guz. _I_ do." You pressed your palm to your chest. It doesn't matter if they don't. They like me! And if they don't like either of us? Well, tough luck, I'm the champion." 

"You really like to mention that. Getting cocky on me?" 

"It feels good. I have to face so much Arceus damned responsibility all the time. Just give me this." 

"Okay," Guzma groaned. "I remember feeling power like that in a title. It was nice." 

"Hint at it all you want but there is no way I am ever going to call you Big Bad Guzma in public." 

"Not what I meant but now I know." He sighed in defeat. 

You reached forwards over the bar, cupping his cheeks and giving him a small peck on the lips. You still felt awkward doing it because you weren't fully used to this relationship yet, but you could see yourself adapting. That was, if he stopped being so stubborn. At the same time, _you_ might need to abide by those same rules or face being called a hypocrite. 

"You're going to go to the party with confidence, and not give a damn about what will happen. You won't be alone there, remember? You can stick by my side the whole time if you'd like. But! Even if you think everyone is against you, you still have me." 

Guzma looked down with a smile, brushing your hands away from his cheeks. "Of course. I'm going for you, and I'm going for the food." 

"Who knows? Maybe if everything turns out okay, you might get to hear me call you Big Bad Guzma in the house!~ In the _house_."

Guzma perked up immediately, practically grinning from ear to ear. 

"You stick to that." 

"I'm hoping to."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Being sick is awful. Here's an update for you though! Next up is the party. Hoo boy...


	16. Chapter 16

You looked out your window to see the bright sun hang over the ocean. The waves softly crashed against the shore as the calm waters pushed and pulled away from the beach, a constant dance of contact and separation. You sighed as you couldn't help but notice the similarities between that and the current predicament you were faced with. 

Maybe it was a good idea to shut the window. 

You were currently trying to figure out what to wear when Guzma entered the room. A cry from you quickly alerted him to shut the door.

"Alright! Alright! You're taking so damn long in there. It's kinda getting late. I thought I'd check to see if you were still alive in there." 

You heard the gentle thump of what was most likely a forehead against the door. You wanted to lean forwards and kiss that spot, but it would be both meaningless and ridiculous. You couldn't help but notice how antsy Guzma proceeded to get as time ticked closer and closer to the party. You figured that maybe he wouldn't even go at all or back out before they could arrive. He didn't necessarily have to go, and he wasn't prepared with an outfit other than his usual attire, but you couldn't care less. He looked fine to you, and you reminded him that was the case consistently. 

"I'm fine in here. I'm just not dressed! Don't go walking into a girl's room when the door is closed." Your face flushed up as you said that, pouting with annoyance. 

"I'm gonna go chill on the couch. Lemme know when you're ready to go, okay?" 

"Fiiine!~" you chimed. You heard him chuckle from behind the door and walk away. 

You continued to search through your wardrobe with a good amount of effort, eventually digging your way to the back of the closet. When you got there, you managed to stumble across exactly what you were looking for. 

The dress was simple, but it was beautiful. It was a lovely shade of (f/c) and was knee length in the front while it draped down to your heels in the back. It accentuated your waist and hips very well, and the straps were comfortable and beaded. You threw it on happily, bringing your search to a close. After finding some shoes to match the dress, you figured you were missing something. You moved to your vanity, throwing on some jewelry and makeup, then decided to try and tame your hair. After styling it a bit, you nodded to yourself and exited the room. 

You found Guzma sitting on the couch and facing the front door. Gengar sat beside him, occasionally annoying him by trying to find a position to lay on him, be it his shoulder, lap, and even partially enveloping Guzma into his body. Guzma seemed used to it, or he was just holding in pent up aggression because he wasn't about to try and stupidly deal with a ghost or, better yet, your pokemon. You were surprised by the patience he had, especially after seeing him during your journey through Alola. He seemed to really grow while in your care. You could tell he was really trying for you. 

"Hey..." you murmured. 

Guzma groaned, getting up from the couch. "Finally you're done. You won't believe how long Gengar has been trying to bother me. I swear he has no chill-" 

Guzma looked you up and down, seemingly surprised. He blinked and his voice quieted down. 

"Hey..." he replied, obviously taken aback.

You smiled at his reaction, causing him to blush.

"O-okaay... Let's go miss champion. You're almost late for your own party! Cmon now." 

You rolled your eyes and hooked your arm with his. It was tough considering his almost unhuman height, but you managed. He led you through the town, heading towards the village. Some passerby on the street watched you both with slight confusion, but they quickly parted in another direction as to not upset the champion or the ex-villain. You could live with that. You felt giddy knowing you were both trainers strong enough to make people not even question you. Guzma noticed your reaction with a raised brow. 

"What?" 

"It's just funny. We're both basically elite trainers, so even if people don't like it they aren't brave enough to say anything cause they know you can beat them down easily and I'm at the very level they strive to be." 

Guzma smiled, but it didn't carry to his eyes. You could tell that the reactions were getting to him. You reached up and put a hand on his shoulder, resting your head against his arm while you walked. 

"You're fine. Stop worrying, okay?" 

Guzma just gave you a small nod, which was barely confirmation. You accepted it anyway, but you weren't okay with it. 

 

When you arrived at the village, people were more than happy to greet their champion. You were amazed at how many people showed up. Guzma, on the other hand, was horrified. You gripped his hand tighter, giving it a gentle squeeze to let him know you would stick by him for the night. As expected, some people didn't seem to care much about Guzma's presence, while others were put on edge. Your mother just happened to be excited, but maybe that was because she didn't know too much about Guzma and she just liked to see that her daughter wasn't so caught up on her goals that she couldn't find a date. Kukui gave a small nod in Guzma's direction, taking your date by surprise. He looked at you and back at him, but you just shrugged and grinned. 

Many people came around to talk to you, but they kept things short and small. Most of the trial captains seemed to have the same reaction to Guzma, straying away from him a bit. They weren't expecting him to be there, so it made sense. 

Acerola bounded up to you and Guzma. "Heya y/n! How are you liking the party? It took us a while to set things up, but everyone was ready to show so they ended up helping too." 

You looked down at her with a grin. "The party is great. People have been kind of avoiding talking too much around me though. I'm sure it will pass." 

Acerola frowned. She looked between you and Guzma. "I'm sorry to hear that. I hope it'll pass. I thought some people were better than this. I could always go talk to them if that will help." 

"No, that's okay. We can deal, right Guz?" 

Guzma had been slightly disassociated with the conversation. He was looking over between people that were pointing at him and whispering among themselves. You could tell he was tense, as the pressure reached the hand you were holding. Acerola backed up, obviously feeling bad for him. You wondered how she figured out Guzma was going to be there with you, but the look you caught from Kukui said everything. He must have told the elite four what was going on. They were the only ones notified, apparently. Perhaps this was a small experiment of sorts, or Kukui wanted you to explain yourself and move at the pace you wanted. Your attention was back to Guzma, who was no longer smiling.

"Guzm..." 

He walked away from you, letting go of your hand. You stood there, watching as some of the crowd separated around him. He headed out of the village, refusing to turn back. Your heart sped up as you felt yourself try to move your body to follow. You found yourself fleeing the party after him, moving between people and ducking through the crowd to chase him. 

"Guzma? Guzma!" You called for him, unable to know where he went. You figured you had a hunch, heading towards the beach. 

 

The waves had gotten further from the shore, now crashing more harshly. You found him sitting right where the dryness of the untouched beach met the sand slicked with ocean water. He was hunched over, with his hood up over his head and his arms draped over his knees. You sat down beside him.

"Guzma?..." 

"Go enjoy your party." 

You felt pain hit you at the sharpness of his tone. You moved closer to him, but he wouldn't allow it. 

"I told you. I knew this wasn't going to turn out okay." 

"Hey. I told you it didn't matter what other people thought. I care about you. I don't want them to look at you like that either, but it can't really be helped. Whatever their opinion is, it doesn't matter." 

You heard Guzma huff and pull himself tighter. It was almost like a defensive ball. You were starting to think that maybe talking to hin wasn't the best decision. 

"What happened to the big bad Guzma that beats people down and never gives up?" You stood up and moved behind him, placing your hands on his shoulders.

"This doesn't have anything to do with that."

"Yes it does. Are you really going to let them get to you? You didn't do it in the past." 

"See? Even you want me better as a villain. That's all I am to them." 

You wrapped your arms around him tight, nearly choking him in a hug. Guzma couldn't see you, but he could feel wetness hit the back of his neck. 

"Let me go, y/n... I made you cry. I really am evil... I don't want to see that." 

You sniffled against the back of his hoodie. "Y-you really think I liked you better as a villain?... You weren't a villain. Don't you dare say that you were." Your voice wavered and it was hard to hear, but Guzma was definitely listening. You decided to continue. 

"You gave so many teenagers a home. You gave them a family. Sure, their motives were warped, but they all loved you. They weren't hurting anybody... I told you I wouldn't care what anyone else thought. You don't deserve the past you were given, but that doesn't mean you can never change. They'll accept you. If they don't I'll make them. Just please don't leave..." 

Both of you went silent for a while. You were still clutching Guzma close, refusing to let him go. Guzma leaned back, resting his head on top of the one buried into the back of his neck. 

"C'mere..." he murmured. You complied, moving in front of him. He sat you down between his legs, pulling you into him and trying to calm you down. You settled down almost immediately, sniffing as you watched the water. He was warm. You almost felt like closing your eyes. You nearly forgot that there was a party you both needed to get back to. 

You stood up, taking his hand. "I want to show you off..." you said. "I want everyone to know that you're wonderful." You smiled sadly at him. He looked at your hand in his, staring at it calmly. He then turned to see your now red face. His grip tightened. 

"Okay." 

 

The party didn't seem to change at all when the center figure was gone. Everyone was still dancing and talking about whatever popped into their minds. The food was nearly gone and the stars now speckled the night sky. The party was an all out success, even without the appearance of it's honorable guest. When you and Guzma re-entered the village, some were happy to see you and others weren't so happy to see Guzma. You squeezed Guzma's hand every time he looked away towards a judgemental trainer or villager. He looked down submissively but you moved closer to him. You talked to some of the trial captains, using that connection as a way to re-introduce them to Guzma. Fortunately they seemed assured and trusting of your decision, wishing you luck. Guzma apologized to them for his actions in the past, hoping they could get along in the future. You avoided some people, knowing how they felt about Guzma. Some people gave you disappointed glances, but neither of you paid any mind. 

You were considering moving to the dance floor when the DJ's microphone crackled on. 

"Everyone get together with a partner, cause things are about to slooow down!" 

The music began again, this time it was a nice slow waltz. Guzma stood nervously on the side, but you hooked your arm in his and smiled up at him. 

"Come on. Let's dance." 

He gave you a skeptical look, but he hesitantly followed you to the floor. You moved towards the middle area, watching the crowd separate just to get away from Guzma. You shook your head at them and took Guzma's cheek in your hand to turn his head back to face you. 

"Don't look at them." 

"I can't help it." 

"I can help you... here." 

You guided his hands to your hips, pressing yourself to him. It took a bit of effort to properly figure out how to dance, but you both certainly had moves when it came down to it. You figured someone that ran a gang had some dance expertise. Sure, that was stereotypical, but true nonetheless. He surprisingly moved with a sense of elegance, holding you close to him. You melted in his arms, enjoying the music and the feeling. 

When the song faded to an end, you leaned up. He seemed to get the idea, bending down. Your lips met his to the different gasps of different people. Some were admiring and others were shocked. You kept his head away from anyone but you while you kissed him, making sure he knew that they didn't matter. Eventually you parted ways, smiling up at him. Your faces were flushed and you didn't let go of each other. The dance floor was quiet. "Good," you thought. You pressed your forehead to his chest, speaking loud enough for everyone around to hear. They needed to hear this. Guzma needed to know this. You needed to say this. 

 

"I love you Guzma..."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I'll add more in the future! Please like and comment on what you think should happen!


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